Suzanne Farwell Bets on a Big-Screen Comeback for the Rom-Com With ‘Otherwise Engaged’

Suzanne Farwell couldn’t have asked for a better education in the creation of the contemporary romantic comedy. As a longtime producing partner to Nancy Meyers, she had a front-row seat during the development and production of some of the genre’s most indelible hits of the past quarter century — Something’s Gotta Give (2003), The Holiday (2006), It’s Complicated (2009) and The Intern (2015). Now, after more than 25 years in the business, Farwell is preparing to make her own carefully plotted first attempt at the increasingly elusive rom-com breakthrough as a writer and director.“I love producing, but from working with Nancy all those years, I absolutely knew that I wanted to direct,” Farwell says. “I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to achieve what Nancy has, but I certainly aspire to.”As a first-time feature director but longtime student of the genre, Farwell has assembled precisely the sort of premise and potently lovable cast that could spell rom-com magic.The project also amounts to a bet on an audience Farwell believes Hollywood is underserving: adults who still want to see an original romantic comedy in a theater. “It’s hard to do, to get the marketing spend, to get people’s attention,” she says. But with recognizable stars and an escapist script built around them, she believes there’s still room to break through.Otherwise Engaged stars English comedian Jack Whitehall as Charlie, a New Yorker whose plans to propose to Gabby (Zoë Kravitz) are upended when his estranged father, fallen business tycoon Jasper (Colin Firth), turns up at his door after an early release from prison. When Jasper falls for Diana (Halle Berry), Gabby’s fiercely independent mother, their whirlwind romance threatens to throw the younger couple’s wedding plans into chaos.Farwell co-wrote the screenplay with Gabriel Mizrahi and is producing alongside Susan Cartsonis for Resonate Entertainment, with Laura Rister producing for Esme Grace Pictures. Farwell co-founded Resonate in 2016 with Cartsonis and Brent Emery, her producing partners on the indie feature Carrie Pilby, with a focus on commercial films for female audiences and a commitment to representation and inclusion.Mister Smith Entertainment launched international sales on Otherwise Engaged at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and has brought the project to AFM. CAA Media Finance is handling U.S. rights. Production is slated to begin on the streets of New York in spring 2027.Ahead of AFM, The Hollywood Reporter connected with Farwell to discuss the creative origins of Otherwise Engaged, the current state of the romantic comedy in a consolidating Hollywood and how her project will reveal a fun new side of rom-com mainstay Colin Firth.Where did the inspiration for this project come from?It really started with Jack Whitehall. I had met with Jack on another project, and that project ended up not going. But I came away from meeting with him and getting to know his work a little more intimately just really enamored of him and his energy and his physical comedy and self-deprecating humor. He fills stadiums, and I could see why. And I just felt inspired to do something with him. So, I went to my writing partner, Gabe Mizrahi, who was also a big fan of Jack’s, and we ended up building the story around him and came up with the premise and the story for Otherwise Engaged. So, we built the movie around him, but then to get Colin Firth to play his father and Halle Berry to play his future mother-in-law and Zoë Kravitz to play opposite him — it’s literally the exact cast that we had in mind when we wrote the script. So to have all these actors on board — and two Oscar winners — it’s a little bit surreal and incredible, and I am very well aware of that and feel really fortunate. Can you share a little more about how you went from Jack’s persona to the story and the premise that you ended up with?Well, we wanted to write it to his strengths. We very much had his physical comedy and the self-deprecating thing that he does. And Colin Firth is one of my favorite actors of all time. He’s the king of the romantic comedy, and I got very excited when we came up with this idea for Colin to play Jack’s father in the film.What happens is Jack Whitehall and Zoë Kravitz are a couple. They’re living together in New York, and he’s about to propose to her. And just as he’s about to propose to her, literally at that moment, Jasper, Colin Firth’s character, rings the bell. He’s been released early from prison for white-collar financial crimes and just essentially wreaks havoc on everything.What complicates matters is that Halle Berry will play Diana, who is not a fan of Jasper but ends up falling for him, and their romance ends up upending everything. So it’s a four-hander.It sounds really fun. Is Colin Firth playing a bit against type there as sort of the disgraced tycoon rather than the shiny knight that we kind of know him as?I think he is. I mean, I’m really proud of the dialogue and the characterization of Jasper, and it will be a lot of fun for audiences, I think, to see him in this part.It’s common in New York-set rom-coms for the city to kind of play its own wistful character in a way. Is that part of the vibe of the film as well?Oh, absolutely. Yes, I mean, I love a classic New York romantic comedy. I’ve made a few as a producer. And I want — it sounds cliché — but I want New York to be a character. I want it to feel authentic but also aspirational, and just a world we want to live in for 90 minutes to two hours and laugh and cry and fall in love a little bit. All those things that come out of a good romantic comedy that appeals to grown-ups.Do you know yet where in New York it’ll be set, or what side of New York you’ll be showing?Yeah. So Zoë’s character, Gabby, is a chef. She and Jack Whitehall — he runs the management side of it, and she’s this brilliant vegan chef. A lot of fun is had with Jasper, Colin’s character, not understanding veganism. But anyway, the restaurant is located on the Lower East Side, and a little bit in the East Village. It’s such an incredible place to shoot, and I hope to capture all of that charm. I want it to be glossy and very commercial, and I want you to feel like you’ve escaped the real world for a little while. We need that right now.I’m at a film festival right now, and at festivals you tend to watch pretty heavy stuff. As I was preparing for this and reading about your project, I couldn’t help but think, “Oh man, I would love to watch that right now instead of another harrowing arthouse drama.”Thank you for saying that. It’s so true, and me included — we all desperately need a little levity. I’ve written a few scripts and am hoping to direct all of them, including this one. But these are the movies that I want to see, that my friends want to see, especially my girlfriends — but men too, obviously. You had the same reaction.There’s such an audience for them. And I guess with just the way the business has changed, the only movies that are in movie theaters are generally superhero movies or tentpoles or horror. And I think the idea of the movie having had such a great reaction from the foreign market was really heartening, because I think it’s maybe a belief that this can actually break through and give people that kind of an experience. And the truth is, a lot of these movies, mid-budget original movies, the studios aren’t taking the risk on them, and so they end up on the streamers, which isn’t a terrible thing, but it’s a different thing. And I think there’s something about seeing movies like this on the big screen that’s exciting and comforting.That was one of the things I wanted to touch on: how you view the creative and commercial state of the rom-com.You know, they sometimes — and I don’t mean to make this a blanket statement — but some feel a bit disposable, especially when they only ever live on streaming. It’s a little bit like cotton candy, and it just dissolves and it’s gone.Whereas the movies I’ve been fortunate enough to work on with Nancy Meyers directing, from brilliant scripts with incredible, bona fide movie stars — to see the success that those movies have had, and more than the financial success, which is great, but also just the fact that these movies are now classics. I mean, they’re not going anywhere, and it makes me really proud to have been a part of bringing those movies that bring so much joy and comfort to people.I mean, The Holiday — now it’s coming up on Thanksgiving. And right around this time of year, every year, I get so many texts and DMs from people saying, “Oh, it’s my favorite movie, and it’s my favorite Christmas movie. And my family and I, we all watch it together, and my sisters and my mom.” And it’s just so gratifying to hear that.I have so much respect for these movies that really bring people joy. There’s comedy, but it’s all anchored in human connection and relationships and fun — just having fun — being a little silly.And you’re optimistic that in this consolidating landscape, a rom-com can still find that place?That’s my hope. It’s hard. It’s hard to do, to get the marketing spend, to get people’s attention. But I believe that women especially, and men as well, I think they’re starving for this kind of movie. And so I think when you show up and you have a good script and you have bona fide movie stars, you have a good shot at making a real impact.To go back to the story and the characters a little bit, just looking at the setup, it seems like there’s potential for cross-generational commentary and comedy.Definitely, it’s a huge part of the themes in the movie. It’s a lot about second chances, starting over again in midlife. I’m very interested in that. I’m in midlife.I feel you.Whether it’s professionally, romantically, whatever that is. And then having that exist and complicate matters with a young couple who are just starting out in their lives and have every opportunity ahead of them, I think, is a very interesting combination. You have a lot of different perspectives, and it’s a lot of fun.It leaves a lot of room for comedy and for real heart — the father-son relationship between Colin’s character and Jack’s character, the mother-daughter relationship between Halle Berry and Zoë. And when they do the thing that they’re not supposed to do, which is get together, just watching the explosive consequences of that — I think it will be a blast.You’ve had a very distinguished career as a producer. What was it about this moment, or this project, that made you finally want to write and direct?After The Intern, I produced my first independent film called Carrie Pilby, with Bel Powley, Nathan Lane and Gabriel Byrne. And it started to really become real for me, thinking about directing. And I thought, “If I wait to have a script sent to me, it’ll never happen.” So I thought, “Why not me?” So I partnered with my writing partner, Gabe Mizrahi, and we just had this sort of instant simpatico kind of connection and wrote two films. This is one of them. So I don’t know if that answers your question, but I just thought, “I’m not a first-time filmmaker. I’ve made a lot of films.” And my experience alongside Nancy — I mean, there’s no better training. She’s sort of singular. So there’s no better training than to learn from the best and be inspired to plunge in. She’s been a great mentor and a great supporter of me, and just the way that she trusted me through our working relationship for 18 years. And watching her process and how fiercely she defends her films has always been very inspiring.It really sounds like this project is a culmination of a lot of ambitions for you. How are you feeling about it now that you’re pretty close to production?I’m really excited. I think there would be something wrong if I wasn’t also a little nervous. I think there’s an amount of nerves that are appropriate here. But I think it’s because I’m so excited, and I know the script inside and out. I can’t wait to get going. It feels like a great gift to have this cast, and I have amazing producers supporting me. I’m going to surround myself with incredible heads of department. And yeah, I can’t wait to make the movie. I want to see this movie.