After Netflix plugged the plug on Nancy Meyers’ expensive romantic-comedy movie earlier this week, it seems that Warner Bros may come to the rescue.
Nancy Meyers had spent over a year developing Paris Paramount (not clear if that’s the actual title, a working title, or a code name) for Netflix, but she and the streaming service clashed over the budget. Nancy Meyers wanted at least $150 million, which would have made it one of the most expensive romantic comedies of all time, but Netflix wouldn’t budge past $130 million. It was reported just last week that Scarlett Johansson, Penélope Cruz, Michael Fassbender and Owen Wilson were circling roles in the movie, and it was said that at least $80 million of that budget would have gone to the talent. Sources told THR that Warner Bros was “attracted to the idea of a ready-made hot project with an A-list cast and possible summer start date.“
Nancy Meyers is set to write, direct, and produce the rom-com movie. The film is said to be “centered on a young writer-director who falls in love with a producer. The pair make several successful films before breaking up, both romantically and professionally. They are forced back together when a new, great project arises, and they find themselves having to deal with high stakes and volatile stars.” The story has parallels to Meyers’ own life, as she had a longtime romantic and professional partnership with writer/producer Charles Shyer, working together on Private Benjamin, Baby Boom, The Parent Trap, and Father of the Bride.
Nancy Meyers’ last theatrical movie was The Intern. The 2015 movie starred Robert De Niro as a 70-year-old widower who becomes a senior intern at an online fashion website, where he forms an unlikely friendship with the company’s workaholic CEO, played by Anne Hathaway. Reviews were mixed, but the movie was a box office success, grossing $195 million worldwide against a $35 million budget. Given Warner Bros’ recent budget cuts, I find it hard to believe that they would be willing to put up the type of money that Netflix refused to offer, but they would be able to offer the movie a theatrical release.