Meg Ryan is making a return to the genre that made her a star.
The actor is directing and starring in “What Happens Later,” a rom-com which she also co-wrote, about two ex-lovers who get stranded at an airport together.
The first trailer for the highly anticipated movie was released on Aug. 30, giving audiences a preview of Ryan's return to the big screen.
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Ryan has not appeared in a movie since her 2015 feature film directorial debut "Ithaca."
"What Happens Later" is set to be released this fall. Here is everything we know about Meg Ryan’s return to the rom-com world.
What is 'What Happens Later' about?
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“What Happens Later” follows exes Willa (Ryan), a “magical thinker,” and Bill (David Duchovny), a “catastrophic one,” who get snowed in at an airport overnight together.
Per the film’s synopsis, during their delay and time together, they “find themselves just as attracted to and annoyed by one another as they did decades earlier.”
As they unpack their muddled past and compare their lives to the dreams they once shared, “they begin to wonder if their reunion is mere coincidence, or something more enchanted.”
What was the inspiration for the film?
“What Happens Later” is based on the play “Shooting Star” by Steven Dietz. The rom-com is written by Dietz, Ryan, and Kirk Lynn.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ryan described the film as “about old people, and it’s still romantic and sexy.” She also said she was inspired by writer and filmmaker Nora Ephron, known for Ryan’s popular films “Sleepless in Seattle,” “You’ve Got Mail” and “When Harry Met Sally.”
“It has a relationship to movies from the ‘40s, like 'Bringing Up Baby,' in terms of the banter and the rhythm of things and a lot of that era of filmmaking,” Ryan said. “Nora Ephron used to say about rom-coms that they were really a secretly incredible delivery system to comment on the times, and we do that in this movie.”
Ryan relates to her character
In that same interview, she shared that Duchovny isn't anything like his character but she is very much like Willa in "What Happens Later."
“These rom-coms really work when the two characters are somehow opposites and yet have a rhythm of intellect and humor and dialogue and banter that sort of indicates their compatibility,” Ryan explained. “So, it’s just been really fun to see David embrace this guy who I don’t think is anything really like David.”
She added, “Whereas the Willa thing I can really relate to. To see him dive into every single scene in the fullest way, he’s funny, and he’s smart, and he’s dear, and irresistible.”
Who else stars in 'What Happens Later'?
Per the Rated R film's IMDB and press release, Ryan and Duchovny are currently the only credited actors.
When does 'What Happens Later' come out?
"What Happens Later" comes out in theaters on Oct. 13.
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