Michael Showalter to Direct New 'Serendipity' for Amazon MGM and Miramax
Michael Showalter will direct a new version of Serendipity for Amazon MGM Studios and Miramax, with original screenwriter Marc Klein returning to pen the script, according to Deadline.
The 2001 original, directed by Peter Chelsom, starred John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale as two strangers who fall for each other on a Christmas night in New York despite being engaged to other people. Released by Miramax, it grossed over $77 million worldwide.
This new film is not a beat-for-beat remake. Showalter described it as "more of a rebuttal" — same title, but new characters and a new story. The writer-director, whose credits span from The Baxter to The Idea of You, is signalling a film that argues with its predecessor rather than simply replaying it.
Klein's return as screenwriter gives the project a direct line back to the original's DNA. Showalter will produce alongside Jordana Mollick for Semi-Formal Productions, with Simon Fields — who produced the 2001 film — rejoining as a producer. Jonathan Glickman, Alexandra Loewy, and Thom Zadra will executive produce for Miramax, alongside Klein.
On the studio side, Emily Crook is overseeing the project for Semi-Formal Productions, which operates under a multi-year, first-look film deal with Amazon MGM — meaning Amazon gets first dibs on projects the company develops. Arianna D'Andrea will oversee for Miramax.
Casting is underway. No release date has been announced.
For fans of the original, the "rebuttal" framing is the detail to watch. A film that shares its title and its romantic-comedy bones with a known property but sets out to challenge its ideas is a rarer creative bet than a straightforward remake — and with Klein writing both versions, the conversation between the two films will be explicit.
