Michael Showalter is directing a contemporary retelling of the cult-classic romantic comedy Serendipity for Amazon MGM Studios and Miramax. According to Deadline, Marc Klein, who wrote the original 2001 film, is returning to pen the screenplay.
Cashmere Gloves and $5 Bills
Directed by Peter Chelsom and starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale, the original Serendipity follows two strangers, Jonathan and Sara, who meet while reaching for the same pair of cashmere gloves at Bloomingdale’s during a chaotic Christmas shopping rush. Sparks fly immediately, but Sara refuses to swap phone numbers. Instead, she insists on testing fate: he writes his number on a $5 bill that gets spent, and she writes hers in a copy of Love in the Time of Cholera destined for a used bookstore. If the universe wants them together, those items will find their way back.
Fast-forward several years: both are engaged to others, yet neither can shake the memory of that single night. Cue a frantic, cross-country scramble full of near-misses, cosmic signs, and panicked searches through Manhattan bookshops and record stores right before their respective weddings. Naturally, the universe delivers, reuniting them at the exact Central Park ice rink where their night started.
A New Spin on Love and Fate
While discussing his approach to the project, Showalter said, “I am so honored and excited to get to live inside this iconic funny, romantic and intelligent world that Marc Klein has created. This new Serendipity is not a remake or even a reboot, I’d say it’s more of a rebuttal. Same title. New characters. New story and new ideas about love and relationships. Me and Jordana and everyone at Semi-Formal relish the opportunity to make another film with the whole team at Amazon MGM as well as our new partners at Miramax.”
Trusting Showalter’s Vision
Showalter has come a long way since his early days starring in The State and Stella – and since I randomly bumped into him at a music store in Brooklyn back in the early 2000s. While I haven’t seen his latest romantic comedy, The Idea of You, starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine, I trust him to deliver a love story worth seeing, especially with Klein back on script duties.
Are you excited to see Michael Showalter’s take on Serendipity? Let us know in the comments section below!
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