The beloved 1990s romantic comedy You’ve Got Mail is set for a remake, though the announcement has already sparked a skeptical reaction online.
Deadline reported Tuesday that the 1998 film, which paired Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, is being reimagined in a “new take” from director Jason Orley.
Orley is best known for his collaborations with Pete Davidson. He directed two of Davidson’s stand-up specials and cast him in the 2019 coming-of-age comedy Big Time Adolescence.
It remains unknown whether Hanks or Ryan will be involved in the new project, or how Orley intends to update the story for modern audiences.
The prospect of revisiting the classic rom-com was met with plenty of doubt across social media.
“Insane decision. Every great element of this movie is outdated: dial-up, email, book stores, talking to strangers, men and women dating,” writer Grant Addison posted on X.
Warner Bros. is developing a remake of the 1998 romantic comedy You’ve Got Mail, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
“The original worked because Fox Books was the big, evil corporate villain threatening a cozy indie bookstore. In 2026, both of them would have already been put out of business by Amazon five years ago,” another user quipped.
“You’ve Got AI Slop,” joked The Ringer’s Matthew Belloni.
Others noted that You’ve Got Mail was already an adaptation of the 1937 play Parfumerie, which inspired the 1940 film The Shop Around the Corner.
That story was adapted again in 1949 as In the Good Old Summertime, starring Judy Garland.
“Everyone angry about this is forgetting that YOU’VE GOT MAIL was like the 4th remake of this story,” movie blogger Tom Zohar wrote.
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“Disregarding You’ve Got Mail was already a remake, remaking it specifically in 2026 is absurd. You can’t even call it ‘You’ve Got Mail’ because AOL retired the sound. Last year,” another person added.
Box office columnist Scott Mendelson also weighed in, writing, “Once again, this is not and was not an IP or a franchise.
“Yes, 1998’s You’ve Got Mail was itself a remake of The Shop Around the Corner, but its appeal at the time was 99% ‘Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, reunited again after Sleepless in Seattle’!!!”
It is not yet known whether Tom Hanks or Meg Ryan will return for the upcoming remake.
You’ve Got Mail became a box office hit after its release, earning $250 million and ranking among the biggest romantic comedies of the 1990s.
The original You’ve Got Mail follows two people who begin an online romance without realizing they are also business competitors.
Kathleen Kelly, played by Ryan, owns an independent bookstore, while Joe Fox, portrayed by Hanks, runs a large family-owned book chain.
Although much of the film’s promotion focused on the reunion of Ryan and Hanks, the cast also featured Parker Posey, Jean Stapleton, Dave Chappelle, Steve Zahn and Greg Kinnear.
You’ve Got Mail was a major box office success, taking in $250 million and becoming one of the most successful romantic comedies of the 1990s.
The planned remake is among a wave of reboots, sequels and franchise projects greenlit since David Ellison took over Paramount last year.
Other projects in development include Rush Hour 4, Top Gun 3, A Quiet Place 3, a new Transformers film, another Paranormal Activity sequel and an A Nightmare on Elm Street reboot.
