Hollywood producer Will Packer is bringing Black-led rom-coms back to theaters.
His latest film, “You, Me & Tuscany,” hit theaters on April 10, starring actress and Grammy-nominated singer Halle Bailey and Rege-Jean Page, the British actor best known for starring in the Netflix hit Bridgerton. In the movie, Bailey plays an adventurous 20-something-year-old New Yorker who takes a spontaneous trip to Tuscany, Italy, and gets trapped in a never-ending web of lies. While there, she falls for an attractive, charismatic, hardworking Italian man played by Page and comes to terms with her truth.
Packer, who produced blockbusters like “Girls Trip” and “Think Like A Man,” says Black love could make a comeback on the big screen, depending on how much support his new film receives in theaters.
“Anytime is a good time for a rom-com fronted by two incredible Black leads,” he told Black Enterprise on the red carpet at the film’s world premiere in New York on Wednesday.
“It’s a universal story. The leads happen to be Black, and I think that makes it all the better. I love the fact that a movie about love and joy — no trauma, just a good time — is back in theaters.”
Last month, writer and director Nina Lee revealed on X that entertainment studios and executives were waiting to see how “You, Me & Tuscany” performed at the box office before backing her new project.
Packer responded to Lee’s tweet, acknowledging that “You, Me & Tuscany” could unlock a new wave of investments in Black storytelling.
The issue, Packer said, is steeped in historic racial bias and discrimination that Black creatives continue to face in the industry.
“Hollywood has a paltry track record of putting Black folks in the leads in front of the camera,” he told BE at the premiere.
On top of that, he says that romantic comedies are now being made for streaming services.
“Romantic comedies, as a genre–you haven’t seen as many on the big screen because Hollywood stopped making them for the big screen. So, a rom-com with Black leads, a lot of eyes are on this.”
The award-winning filmmaker pointed to what he described as the golden age of Black rom-coms, noting that Hollywood studios may produce these films again only if there’s strong demand.
“You had The Best Man, Think Like a Man, Love & Basketball, Love Jones, The Wood, Two Can Play That Game, Brown Sugar [and] all that stuff because audiences were going to see those movies in theaters,” he said. However, he says audiences have the power to shift the direction of filmmaking, arguing that “Hollywood is reactive. We tell them what kind of movies we want to see.”
Although Packer acknowledged that going to a movie theater in the Netflix and chill era can be “exhausting,” he still urged movie lovers to buy tickets to see “You, Me & Tuscany.” Every ticket sold signals to Hollywood that Black love stories are worthy of investments.
“If it’s for you and you want to have a good time and have some escapist fare that’s aspirational, come out and let’s believe in love again.”
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