Jennifer Lopez just got engaged to retired baseball star Alex Rodriguez, and yet later this year, she's going to marry... Owen Wilson? It's the romantic pairing you never knew you always wanted! See, Wilson is in final negotiations to star opposite Lopez in STXfilms' romantic comedy Marry Me. It's about a pop star bride who ditches her lying, cheating groom at the altar in front of a crowd of thousands, and in the spirit of "the show must go on," picks a random man in attendance (Wilson) and goes through with the ceremony. Will the two of them live happily ever after, or will their holy matrimony be annulled before the end of the week?
Kat Coiro will direct the high-concept comedy, which is based on a graphic novel by Bobby Crosby. John Rogers and Tami Sagher wrote the script, while Harper Dill penned the rewrite. For what it's worth, Coiro directed numerous episodes of two of the funniest shows on television -- It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The Mick. Here's hoping she'll find a role for Kaitlin Olson in this film, which Lopez is producing with Elaine Goldsmith Thomas and Benny Media. The three producers previously teamed with STX on last year's Second Act and the upcoming revenge movie Hustlers, which will hit theaters this fall around the same time that Marry Me heads into production. Rogers will also produce, while Willie Mercer, Alex Brown and J.B Roberts will executive produce. STX executives Kate Vorhoff and Catherine Hagedorn will oversee production on behalf of the studio.
The studio bills Marry Me as a cross between Notting Hill and The Proposal, promising it will lift the curtain on celebrity, social media, and the merits of modern marriage. I wonder whether Lopez will play off her own persona, since she certainly knows about all three of those things. Rodriguez will be her fourth husband, and I wish them a lifetime of happiness together -- or at least as much happiness as a Red Sox fan like me can wish to a former Yankee.
That said, Rodriguez certainly seems like a better match for Lopez than Wilson, although I suppose that's where the comedy of Marry Me lies. We're used to seeing J-Lo paired with suave leading men like George Clooney, Matthew McConaughey and Ralph Fiennes, but Wilson doesn't quite fit that model. In fact, Wilson hasn't done many romantic comedies at all, as he's more often than not cast in buddy movies where he stars opposite another straight man, but I think the Butterscotch Stallion will be up to the task here.
“Owen is a hilarious and charismatic addition to this film, and the perfect person to play opposite Jen in a role that was quite literally made for her," said STXfilms chairman Adam Fogelson, who also called Marry Me a "funny and endearing project.
Lopez will soon be seen alongside Constance Wu and Cardi B in Lorene Scafaria's STX movie Hustlers. But before that film hits theaters in September, the studio will also release Uglydolls (May 3), Poms (May 10), 21 Bridges (July 12) and Brahms: The Boy II (July 26). Lopez is represented by CAA, The Medina Co. and Hirsch Wallerstein, the latter of which also reps Wilson along with UTA.
