Hollywood might be on the verge of re-creating one of the most popular romantic comedies of the early 2000s. Paramount Pictures is developing a sequel to “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” a 2003 romantic comedy with Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey that was a big hit.
Hudson is attached to produce this potential sequel along with Stacey Sher according to Deadline. The project is still in the early stages of development but the studio has expressed the desire to bring Hudson and McConaughey back to reprise their roles. There are no casting agreements yet, so the two stars are still not in place.
Hudson and McConaughey together again is likely to create a great deal of excitement for fans of the original movie. Their chemistry was one of the film’s biggest attractions and helped make a familiar romantic-comedy premise into a commercially successful and lasting title.
Andie Anderson, played by Hudson, is a magazine writer who decides to conduct an unusual relationship experiment for an article. She wants to make a man lose interest in her in 10 days by doing any number of behaviors that would drive a partner away.
At the same time, McConaughey's Benjamin Barry has a completely different mission. The confident advertising executive makes a bet that he can make a woman fall in love with him within the same 10 days. Their paths cross, and neither initially realizes that the other person is pursuing a hidden agenda.
The resulting relationship becomes more and more complicated as their carefully planned strategies collide. What starts as a battle of competing strategies gradually develops into genuine romantic feelings, creating the misunderstandings, comedy and emotional moments that made the film a standout among early-2000s rom-coms.
Directed by Donald Petrie, the original film had a screenplay by Kristen Buckley, Brian Regan and Burr Steers. Lynda Obst, Robert Evans and Christine Peters were producers. The film earned over $178 million worldwide in February 2003, according to Deadline.
At its peak, “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” has retained a lot of the appeal for fans of classic romantic comedies. And the continued popularity of nostalgic films and established Hollywood franchises has also been buoyed by studios going back to sequels to popular films.
There is little to no news about what the future sequel is going to look like. The project does not have a logline, and no writer has been attached. The story, characters and direction of the new movie are still being put together. It is also unclear whether the sequel would continue the story of Andie and Benjamin or introduce a new relationship with the original characters that would be woven back into the story.
Hudson’s involvement adds to the project’s connection to the original film. Other than perhaps returning to the screen, she is going to be in a producing role working with Stacey Sher as the project moves through development.
Hudson has continued to be an active presence in Hollywood. She has received her second Oscar nomination for Focus Features drama Song Sung Blue and is also in the Netflix comedy series “Running Point,” currently in its third season.
McConaughey remains closely associated with romantic comedies even as he has moved on to drama, action movies, TV shows and so on. He could also be reunited with Hudson and the sequel would be particularly appealing to people who remember the original as one of the most famous romantic comedy movies of its time.
At this stage, however, fans will have to wait for official announcements regarding casting, the screenplay, production schedule and release date. The sequel is in development and many things can change before cameras begin rolling.
If Hudson and McConaughey return eventually, Hollywood would have a chance to come back to a beloved romantic-comedy pairing and reintroduce the characters to a new generation of fans. Of course whether the sequel can bring back the joy and silliness of 2003’s original is still to be decided, but the thought of seeing Andie and Benjamin back together is enough to reignite the interest in the franchise.
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