In the midst of trying to sell her own Black-led romantic comedy to Hollywood studios and executives, filmmaker Nina Lee kept hearing the name of another: “You, Me & Tuscany.”
The buzzy film, directed by Kat Coiro and starring Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page, centers on a young woman whose impulsive decision to crash an empty Italian villa sparks an unexpected romance that changes her life. It arrives in theaters April 10.
It’s the kind of fun-loving, big-screen rom-com that audiences — especially Black audiences — haven’t seen in a while. And by all accounts, a lot is riding on its release.
That became especially clear in a series of viral posts Lee shared Wednesday on X, where she strongly encouraged moviegoers to show up for “You, Me & Tuscany” next month. Her posts came in response to another noting that studios are closely watching the film’s opening weekend to gauge its box office performance.
“1. Met with a studio about my already shot romcom and they won’t buy it until they see how You, Me & Tuscany does. 2. Met with an exec about a romance script I have, they won’t buy it until they see how You, Me & Tuscany does,” Lee wrote in one X post.
