Amazon Studios starts production on rom-com ‘I Want You Back’ with Jenny Slate, Charlie Day, Manny Jacinto, Jami Gertz

Erik Anderson February 22, 2021

Amazon Studios has started production on the original romantic comedy I Want You Back directed by Jason Orley (Big Time Adolescence), and penned by Love, Simon writers and This Is Us co-showrunners Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger.

The ensemble comedy will star Charlie Day, Jenny Slate, Gina Rodriguez, Scott Eastwood, Manny Jacinto and Clark Backo. Producers are Peter Safran and John Rickard of The Safran Company, Aptaker and Berger of The Walk-Up Company. Production is slated to start early next month in Atlanta.

Emma (Slate) and Peter (Day) thought they were on the precipice of life’s biggest moments – marriage, kids, and houses in the suburbs – until their respective partners dumped them. In their thirties and terrified that they have missed their shot at happily ever after, Emma and Peter are horrified to learn that their partners have already moved on. With no prospects on the horizon and the threat of dying alone hanging over their heads, they hatch a desperate plan to put an end to their exes’ new relationships and win them back.

The ensemble cast is rounded out with Jami Gertz, Jordan Carlos, Midori Francis, Mason Gooding, Isabel May and Luke David Blumm. Executive producers are Day, Adam Londy and Bart Lipton.

“It’s a dream to be able to bring Isaac and Elizabeth’s brilliantly authentic vision to the world! It will surely capture the hearts of our Prime Video customers,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. “We couldn’t be more excited to see this amazing ensemble come aboard this fun and witty story that audiences will fall in love with.”

Director Jason Orley said, “I immediately fell in love with Isaac and Elizabeth’s funny, heartfelt script, and I am so honored that they, along with the amazing team at Amazon are allowing me to bring their timeless love story to life, and that I get to do it with such an incredible group of actors.”

“We are beyond thrilled to be in business with Jen and her team at Amazon Studios to make a fresh romantic comedy full of heart,” said Aptaker and Berger. “Alongside our partners at The Safran Company, we have assembled a phenomenally talented cast of comedy all-stars and have the wonderful Jason Orley at the helm to tell this story of passion, heartbreak, and the lengths people will go to in the name of true love.”

Creative talent behind the camera includes Production Designer Michael Perry, Director of Photography Brian Burgoyne, Costume Designer Samantha Hawkins, Casting Director John Papsidera, Editor Jonathan Schwartz and Composer Siddhartha Khosla.

Jason Orley made his directorial debut with his film Big Time Adolescence which premiered in dramatic competition at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. He also wrote the screenplay, which appeared on the 2014 Blacklist. Jason directed and produced Pete Davidson’s Netflix stand-up comedy special Alive From New York. He has sold and developed television pilots at HULU, TNT and CBS, and served as a writer on the political satire series Graves for Epix. He has written feature screenplays for Universal, Paramount and Fox Searchlight.

Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger are Emmy-nominated writers and producers who work in features and television. Isaac and Elizabeth wrote the acclaimed comedy Love, Simon for which they won the Humanitas Prize. They are also currently writing a new film based on Meg Wolitzer’s latest novel, The Female Persuasion, starring Nicole Kidman, for Amazon Studios. In television, the two serve as co-showrunners and executive producers on the hit NBC drama This Is Us with series creator Dan Fogelman, currently in its fifth season. They also created and executive produce the Hulu series Love, Victor which is in production on its second season. The duo continues to develop new projects via their production company, The Walk-Up Company.

Photo credit: Shutterstock

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.