Meg Ryan to reclaim rom-com crown, will star in and direct What Happens Later with David Duchovny

Once upon a time, you couldn't swing a meet-cute in this town without hitting Meg Ryan in a romantic comedy. The star of such exemplars of the genre When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and You've Got Mail hasn't delighted audiences since — well, can we call 2015's Ithaca a delight?

Though Ryan's directorial debut did reunite her with Sleepless and Mail co-star Tom Hanks, Ithaca was far heavier and darker than their previous pairings. Well, take heart, because Ryan is making a rom-com comeback. And this time, she's not only lighting up the screen, but setting up the shots. Ryan will star in and direct What Happens Later alongside David Duchovny.

Billed as "an evolved and nostalgic take on the romantic comedy," What Happens Later is based on the play Shooting Star by Steven Dietz, who also co-wrote the screenplay with playwright and novelist Kirk Lynn, and Ryan.

According to the film's release, "ex-lovers Willa (Ryan) and Bill (Duchovny) are reunited for the first time since their split decades prior when they both find themselves snowed in, in-transit, at an airport overnight."

Okay, now we're talking. Ex-lovers, stranded together after all these years — what's gonna happen?!

"Willa is still the willful, independent spirit she once was, free of any ties. Bill, recently separated, is reassessing his life and his relationships with his estranged wife and daughter. All each wants is to get home, but over the course of the night they find themselves at first reluctantly drawn together yet compelled to revisit their past, along with what could have been and what might well be again. But when the versions of their shared history don't quite add up, where do they go from there?"

Wherever they're going let's just hope we get Hanks popping out of nowhere because he's great at that.

Bleecker Street has acquired the U.S. rights to What Happens Later and is planning a 2023 theatrical release.

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