Warner Bros. Develops New You've Got Mail Adaptation
Jason Orley is directing a new take on the 1998 romantic comedy, with a draft based on a screenplay by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Comedy
Warner Bros. is developing a new version of You've Got Mail, with Jason Orley directing and writing the current draft from a screenplay by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont. Details of the new take are being kept under wraps.
Why it matters
The project revisits a romantic comedy that grossed over $250M worldwide, signaling studio interest in reviving well-known titles from the late 1990s. It also adds to the slate of comedies being developed by Neal Moritz and Tania Landau through Original Film.
The 1998 original, directed by Nora Ephron and starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, grossed over $250M worldwide. The new version's commercial targets and budget have not been disclosed.
The players
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. is a major American film studio that released the original You've Got Mail in 1998 and is developing the new version.
Jason Orley
Jason Orley is a director who helmed I Want You Back and Big Time Adolescence and is now writing and directing the new You've Got Mail.
Deborah Kaplan
Deborah Kaplan is a screenwriter who co-wrote the screenplay on which the new You've Got Mail draft is based, alongside Harry Elfont.
Harry Elfont
Harry Elfont is a screenwriter and director who co-wrote Can't Hardly Wait and Josie and the Pussycats with Deborah Kaplan.
The details
Orley previously directed I Want You Back and Big Time Adolescence, and recently wrapped post-production on Close Personal Friends, an Amazon comedy. Kaplan and Elfont wrote and directed Can't Hardly Wait and Josie and the Pussycats and set up two films at Paramount last year.
Timeline
December 1998: The original You've Got Mail was released by Warner Bros.
2019: Big Time Adolescence premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
Last year: Kaplan and Elfont set up two films at Paramount.
Legal Context
The project follows the 1998 Nora Ephron original, itself adapted from Miklós László's play Parfumerie and its film adaptation The Shop Around the Corner. It extends a pattern of studios returning to earlier romantic comedies for updated versions.
No release date, platform, or theatrical window has been announced for the new version. Viewers can currently watch the 1998 original through Warner Bros.' available distribution channels.
The takeaway
Studios continue to revisit proven romantic comedies, so audiences can expect updated versions of familiar titles to keep appearing. Watching the original film remains the clearest way to compare the new take once it is released.
Further reading
For more on the genre, explore Comedy coverage on the site.
