Ahead of Friday’s launch of Netflix’s long-awaited film adaptation of Emily Henry’s best-selling romance novel “People We Meet on Vacation,” the streaming service announced it is further strengthening its partnership with the author.
Netflix is picking up a film adaptation of her book “Funny Story” and plans to move its already-in-production adaptation of “Happy Place” from TV series to film.
“The Happy Place” follows a former couple, Harriet and Win, as they pretend they are still together on a final summer trip with their best friends at a beach house in Maine, even as they struggle with the strain of their broken engagement.
Henry’s “Happy Place” is produced by Nuyorican’s Jennifer Lopez, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Benny Medina. Leila Cohan was previously set as showrunner for the upcoming film series.
“Funny Story” is produced by Lyrical Media and Ryder Picture Company (RPC), with Lyrical Media’s Alexander Black and RPC’s Aaron Ryder and Andrew Sweat producing. Henry himself wrote the script. A director has not yet been decided for this film.
According to the official logline: “‘Funny Story’ is a sparkling, joyful tale about two opposites with the wrong things in common. The story begins with Daphne, a children’s librarian, dealing with the breakup of her engagement to Peter. Realizing too late that she loved her childhood best friend, Daphne becomes roommates with Petra’s ex-boyfriend, Miles, and despite their differences, they make plans to get back together…or with her ex.
Casts have not yet been decided for either project.
Henry is currently working with other studios and distributors to adapt his books “Beach Read” and “Book Lovers,” and “People We Meet on Vacation” will be the first of five Henry films to be released.
Produced by 3000 Pictures and Temple Hill, People We Meet on Vacation stars Emily Bader and Tom Bryce as Poppy and Alex, long-time best friends and fellow travelers who spend their final vacation together while navigating their complicated romantic feelings for each other. The film will be directed by Brett Haley from a script written by Yulin Kuan (director and screenwriter of 20th Studios and the original film Henry’s Beach Read).
“Emily Henry has a talent for creating characters that truly connect with audiences. It’s no wonder her books resonated with so many,” said Alex Black, founder and CEO of Lyrical Media. “We’re excited to follow up ‘People You Meet on Vacation’ and collaborate with her on ‘Funny Story.’ It will be so exciting to bring her beloved characters to the big screen.”
To learn more about the upcoming release of People We Meet on Vacation, the status of other film adaptations, and when his next book will be released, check out Variety’s interview with Henry below.
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 6: (LR) Brett Haley, Emily Bader, Tom Bryce and Emily Henry attend the premiere of Netflix’s ‘People We Meet On Vacation’ held at Egyptian Theater Hollywood on January 6, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
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How did you feel the first time you saw the film version of “The Holidays” and what kind of reaction do you expect from fans when it is released on January 9th?
I was very nervous, but afterwards I felt really relieved. I remember the first time I saw a cut of this movie a long time ago. I knew how hard everyone had worked on this film and I wanted to be excited about it, but I also knew that I was going to judge this film against the expectations of the fans and that I would probably be one of the harshest critics. So I was very, very nervous, but when the movie ended, I felt a huge sense of relief. That was the first big emotion that came later, more than joy or excitement, but at first it was just so much relief. Because it felt like they got it done. And that was my biggest concern because I felt that the readers were going to be very happy. This book already exists and I am very happy with it. And personally, I don’t think I needed as much from this movie as I felt like you did. I wanted it to be something that readers would be excited about. And when I finished watching it for the first time, I knew the majority of them would be thrilled.
Usually by this point I’ve announced what my next book will be, but I still don’t know what I’m currently working on or whether it will be published in 2026.
I haven’t said anything officially about this, but essentially the movie seems to have tugged at my concentration a bit, so I’m behind. But what actually happened was that I continued to write on this really intense schedule for six years, or however long that was. And many times I feel like the luckiest person in the world because both my editor and agent have strongly encouraged me to take some time off. And that’s not normal. For example, every time I go to a writer’s camp and get stressed and burnt out, no matter what all my friends say to me, “You have to ask if you want to take a break. No one will ever offer it to you, because usually they don’t.” Usually they’re like, “Okay, we’ll wait.” And both my editor and agent told me to wait and do something else.
So in 2025, I traveled more than usual. I crammed in as much travel as I could and then wrote these scripts. I also wrote some spec scripts just for fun. I’m not doing anything at the moment, but I plan on going back. I didn’t write a book last year, which is probably the first time since I was 20 that I didn’t write a book for a year. The funny thing is, even though it was my vacation that year, it wasn’t really a year’s vacation. Because, looking back, I wrote five screenplays, a short story, and an essay. But when it comes to larger projects that take more time and stay in my head longer, I took a year off. And now I would like to say that I am ready to get back to the books. It was exactly what I needed. I feel so inspired at this moment. I know what’s next, so I’m going to jump right in. I hope to have something to share soon. Hopefully it will start working soon. I’m ready to get back into the world of books.
What has the casting process been like for other film adaptations such as “The Happy Place” and “Funny Story”? Do you find it difficult to find the right fit for the character, or find it difficult to find actors who want to join the project?
Oh, and to be honest, it’s a little bit of both. The other thing that Brett and I have been saying this past week in all the press is that we really don’t think we would have gotten Tom and Emily in two years. I think they’re really great actors. I mean, I think because you’re so involved in this field, you’re aware that there’s still really a bias against romance in Hollywood. I think the reason publishing has come so far in the past decade is because it had to. They had to accept that this is the genre that people buy the most and read the most. This kind of floats the boat, and it doesn’t mean that all the other genres don’t deserve to exist, but we need to fund the books that exist, and for all books to exist, money has to come from somewhere. And romance has some very voracious readers, and romance readers read several books a week. So I think the publishing industry has really embraced the fact that romance as a genre is legitimate and valid and valuable and that it’s an audience that needs to be served and it needs to be served by people who actually believe in romance, rather than just trying to cater to people who don’t respect it.
It was a huge step forward, but I think Hollywood is probably at least five years behind it. And I’m struck by the many ways in which I still feel like I face a stigma. And part of it is I think it’s really hard to cast these movies. I think there are a lot of actors who are very wary of this genre. There’s also the fact that Brett and I are still unknowns. He has some beautiful movies and I have some popular books. But in the bigger picture, that doesn’t necessarily happen. On top of that, I think actors are very afraid that if they do these movies, they won’t be taken as seriously or that they’ll be stuck in this genre and won’t be able to do anything else. And at the end of the day, romance is just a very human story. It’s the kind of genre that can’t hide behind anything else. Plot, arc, conflict, everything is firmly rooted, at least within this subgenre of romance, and there’s nothing to hide behind. So if the actors aren’t great, the movie is going to sink or swim based on that. And watching Tom and Emily in this movie is very moving. I think it’s very attractive. The camera feels in love with them and you feel everything they are feeling.
I feel that people sometimes treat it like an introduction. So it’s like you have to do romance to prove that you can do romance so you can star in other things. In other words, romance creates careers. The one I would like to mention is “Normal People.” This isn’t shelved as a romance, but is essentially just a love story. That’s also the basis of the story and the miniseries. And now, Paul Mescal is one of the most active actors, and I think that’s because he was able to demonstrate his abilities in beautiful love stories.
And you have to find people that the audience is excited about, you’re excited about, the director and producers are excited about, the studio is excited about, and they feel free and ready and excited to do this. It’s surprisingly difficult, but it’s moving. I also feel that Tom and Emily did a great job in this regard, so casting will be a lot easier after this movie is released. Because I think people are going to see how they can bring this story to life. And I think and I hope that other actors will be excited about that ability and the opportunity to do the same thing.
The only one of your projects that has not yet been made into a film is your latest film, “The Great Big Beautiful Life.” Are you actively trying to sell those rights?
I’m doing this for a bit of fun. I wrote that script just for fun. We’ve met a lot of great producers, but ultimately decided to slow down. I had other pieces in the works as well, and I wanted at least (“People We Meet on Vacation”) to fly by. That’s why we don’t let anyone participate in “The Great Big Beautiful Life.” That’s kind of fun. I feel like in the past I’ve been almost manic about wanting to make and unload these things, but this was the first time I felt like I wasn’t in a hurry. I love the scripts I have. Of course, it needs work and will continue to be done, but I’ve had a great time writing it and I’m looking forward to getting back to it, hopefully within the next couple of months.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
