‘You’ve Got Mail’: Jason Orley Directing New Take On Rom-Com For Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Pictures is developing a fresh take on the beloved 1998 romantic comedy "You've Got Mail," with Jason Orley set to direct and write the current draft based on a screenplay by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont, according to Variety and People.com. Plot details for the upcoming project are being kept under wraps. The original film, written and directed by Nora Ephron, hit theaters in December 1998 and starred Tom Hanks as Joe Fox, a corporate bookstore executive, and Meg Ryan as Kathleen Kelly, the owner of a small independent children's bookstore. The two are business rivals in real life but unknowingly strike up an online romance through anonymous emails. The film also featured Parker Posey, Greg Kinnear, Dave Chappelle and Jean Stapleton. It marked the third on-screen pairing for Hanks, 70, and Ryan, 64, following "Joe Versus the Volcano" and "Sleepless in Seattle." The movie grossed more than $250 million worldwide and helped capture a particularly nostalgic moment in the early days of the internet. Based on Miklós László's play "Parfumerie," the film also explored the changing landscape of independent bookstores as large retail chains began taking over. Delia Ephron, who co-wrote the film with her late sister Nora, previously reflected on the movie's enduring appeal in an exclusive conversation with People.com in October 2024. "The love for that movie is very meaningful to me because Nora and I love books," she said, explaining why they ultimately decided to make Ryan's character a children's bookstore owner. "And we love children's books so much, so she — that character — is a children's bookstore owner and that's what that movie is for me." Orley has plenty of experience bringing romantic comedies to the screen. He previously directed "I Want You Back," the Amazon rom-com starring Charlie Day, Jenny Slate and Gina Rodriguez. His debut feature, "Big Time Adolescence," starring Pete Davidson, premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Orley recently wrapped post-production on his third feature film, "Close Personal Friends," an Amazon comedy starring Brie Larson, Jack Quaid, Lily Collins and Henry Golding. A release date for the new "You've Got Mail" has not yet been announced.