Sad news for Nancy Meyers’ fans as her big directorial return to the romantic comedy genre has been canceled by Netflix due to budget issues. What would have been a Scarlett Johansson-led film, Paris Paramount, is no longer moving forward after the financial allocation hit $130 million.
The said project also included a star-studded cast with Penélope Cruz, Owen Wilson, and Michael Fassbender. According to sources as per THR, Netflix and Meyers had trouble coming to an agreement. The director wanted to allocate $150 million for the project, but the studio refused anything that goes beyond $130 million.
Netflix’s Upcoming Rom-Com Movie Paris Paramount Canceled Due To Budget Disputes
Nancy Meyers previously directed Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway’s The Intern (2015). She is known for producing high-budget romantic-comedy movies starring A-list celebrities. Her works also boast stunning production designs. For a genre that does not need too many visual effects, $130M is too much for a price tag.
The film was announced a year ago with Meyers as the writer, director, and producer. Paris Paramount is about a young writer-director who falls head over heels with a producer. They collaborated and created many successful films, but when they broke up, they are forced to set aside their personal issues and work together.
Little known fact, the film somewhat reflects Meyers’ personal life. She and Charles Shyer, a writer and producer, had a long shared history of romance and collaboration. They both worked on Private Benjamin, Baby Boom, The Parent Trap, and Father of the Bride.
In her interview with Vulture, Meyers talked about why she took a break from making movies:
“Making movies used to be much more fun. It was always stressful. There was always a lot of money at stake. It was always a lot of personalities. It was always release dates, and get it done, and don’t go over budget, and try to stick to the schedule. There’s always those things.”
Since Meyers’ big movie comeback has been shelved, the director responded to the question if she will ever consider working for television:
“I haven’t all these years, so I probably wouldn’t start. My brain thinks in three acts, and so TV — it’s just different. It’s got to keep going and going. It’s a different animal, and I’m not sure that I could do it that well.”
She added that writing for television requires a lot of people in the room, and she prefers her room less crowded.
Fans Question Nancy Meyers’ Paris Paramount’s Insane Budget
With the unfortunate cancelation of Nancy Meyers’ upcoming romantic comedy film featuring A-list actors, fans reacted to the allotted budget and also questioned the quality of the production set. Check out their tweets below:
130M??? is this romcom set in Pandora????
— I’m GAY up death (@SwiftieofCain) March 14, 2023
Only Netflix was silly enough to throw around that much cash for a project like this.
— Michael Sobczak (@msobczak) March 15, 2023
I like Nancy Myers and all….but $130mil for a romcom? That’s asinine. 🤷🏻♂️
— Bruce LeBrun (@BruceLeBrunJr) March 15, 2023
it shouldn't cost $130M to make a romantic comedy for streaming. Were there dinosaurs in this? Did it take place in a post-apocalyptic dystopian future? People are definitely over-budgeting on purpose and side-pocketing
— NÆ 🆑 (@tasteslikesalt) March 15, 2023
LMAOO for once it’s deserved. Who tf is investing this much into a romance film
— inkiad🏳️🌈 (@Inkiadk) March 14, 2023
Since the movie was still in early production, it was also unclear if Paris Paramount is the official name or just a working title. Nevertheless, it seems that Netflix is not amenable to Meyer’s proposed budget. For a romantic comedy movie, $130 million is indeed a large price that could be used for bigger franchises.
