Weeks after Jennifer Lopez announced she’s adapting Happy Place for Netflix, it’s been revealed that another Emily Henry book is headed to the screen.
Henry’s rom-com Funny Story, which was just published in April, will be made into a feature film, and the author is penning the screenplay herself, Variety reports. It will be produced by Lyrical Media (How to Blow Up a Pipeline) and Ryder Picture Company (Dumb Money). It’s still too early for other details, such as release date, cast, and director announcements, but here’s what we know so far.
What is Funny Story about?
Henry’s latest bestselling rom-com follows Daphne, a children’s librarian whose engagement is called off months before her wedding when her fiancé, Peter, realizes he’s in love with his childhood friend, Petra. Stuck in Peter’s hometown, Daphne decides to move in with Petra’s ex, Miles, and they devise a plan to get back at their former lovers.
“Breakups are horrible in the moment, and oftentimes later, they’re very hilarious,” Henry recently told ELLE.com of the novel’s premise. Despite what you might think of the romance genre, there are serious lessons to take away from them, the author argues. “Love is not just a silly story. It might be a funny story, but it’s not silly and superfluous. It’s the reason,” she added.
What other Emily Henry adaptations are in the works?
So many. Aside from Happy Place, Beach Read is being adapted to film, directed by Yulin Kuang; People We Meet on Vacation is becoming a film, adapted by Kuang and directed by Brett Haley; and a Book Lovers movie is also coming, adapted by Sarah Heyward (Girls).
So, yes, with Funny Story added to the list, that means all of Henry’s books are now being adapted for the screen. Henry recently spoke to ELLE.com about how her entry to Hollywood gave her “a new appreciation for publishing” and how starkly different the two industries are.
“It is a challenge to go from publishing—where I feel like, with my team, I’ve proven myself; they trust me, and they trust my viewpoint—to then a totally new world where I feel like I’m there to be the representative of my readers,” she said. “It is a miracle that any movie has ever gotten made, let alone a good movie. It gives me more understanding of how something can end up bad, because there are so many voices, and you’re working on something for so long; it’s easy to lose sight of it. You need a great team to keep something from falling apart.”
Still, Henry is celebrating the Funny Story film. She shared the news on Instagram, calling it “a big day all around.”