Warner Bros. is developing a new version of the hit 1998 romantic comedy “You’ve Got Mail,” according to industry trade publications.
Director Jason Orley has been tapped to helm the project, The Hollywood Reporter reported. Orley, whose credits include the comedy films “Big Time Adolescence” and “I Want You Back” as well as the series “Bupkis,” is also writing the current draft of the script. His work is based on an earlier screenplay written by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont.
Rather than serving as a direct frame-by-frame remake of the original movie, the upcoming project will tell a new story, The Hollywood Reporter stated. Specific plot points and details regarding how the storyline will be modernized have not yet been disclosed by the studio.
Original producers return
Neal Moritz and Tania Landau, who produced the 1998 film, are attached to produce the new feature, trade outlets reported. It remains unclear whether original stars Tom Hanks or Meg Ryan will have any role or involvement in the new film, according to the Daily Mail.
The 1998 romantic comedy, directed by the late Nora Ephron, centered on corporate bookstore executive Joe Fox, played by Hanks, and independent bookstore owner Kathleen Kelly, played by Ryan. The two characters engage in an anonymous online romance via early internet email, completely unaware that they are fierce business competitors in the real world.
That movie was itself an adaptation of “Parfumerie,” a 1937 Hungarian stage play written by Miklós László. The play previously served as the foundation for the 1940 Ernst Lubitsch film “The Shop Around the Corner” and the 1949 Judy Garland musical “In the Good Old Summertime.”
A massive 1990s box office hit
The original “You’ve Got Mail” was a major commercial hit upon release. Produced on an estimated budget of $65 million, it generated more than $250 million at the worldwide box office, not adjusted for inflation, The Hollywood Reporter noted. The feature earned Ryan a Golden Globe nomination for best actress in a motion picture comedy or musical.
The supporting ensemble of the 1998 film included Greg Kinnear, Parker Posey, Jean Stapleton, Steve Zahn, Heather Burns, and Dave Chappelle. The movie marked the third screen pairing between Hanks and Ryan, following their appearances together in “Joe Versus the Volcano” in 1990 and Ephron’s “Sleepless in Seattle” in 1993.
Skepticism and modern updates
News of the upcoming project sparked immediate conversation and skepticism across social media, the Daily Mail reported. Commentators noted that key plot devices from the late 1990s, including dial-up internet connections, AOL email notifications, and retail bookstore turf wars, face entirely different cultural realities today.
Orley recently completed production on the upcoming comedy “Close Personal Friends,” starring Brie Larson, Jack Quaid, Henry Golding, and Lily Collins, Screen Rant reported. Warner Bros. has not announced casting decisions, a release timeline, or whether the new production is intended for a theatrical run.
