Nia Long + Larenz Tate + Maxwell = a Black millennial’s perfect combo.
And now, Netflix just made every R&B lover and certified lover girl/boy’s dreams come true.
The stars who made us fall deeply in love back in 1997’s “Love Jones” are reuniting for a new romantic drama on Netflix. Netflix officially greenlit the project on Wednesday, per Deadline. The untitled film will reportedly be directed by Eugene Ashe, the filmmaker behind “Sylvie’s Love,” another swoon-worthy Black romance.
While Netflix is keeping the plot close to its chest, Deadline reports that the project is inspired by Maxwell’s debut album, “Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite.” Recorded between 1994 and 1995 and released on April 2, 1996, the album tells the story of a romance from its passionate beginning to its heart-wrenching end, all drawn from Maxwell’s real-life experiences. And if you know the album, you know this means the untitled film may be a slow-burn, soul-filled love story.
Ashe will direct from a script written by Kay Oyegun, the “This Is Us” writer-producer who’s no stranger to emotional storytelling. Meanwhile Maxwell, John D. Hammond, Long, and Tate are reportedly listed as executive producers, with James Lopez, Charles D. King, and Poppy Hanks producing for Macro Film Studios.
Fans are already buzzing to see if the film will mirror the themes of Urban Hang Suite or simply channel that unmistakable ‘90s Black love aesthetic.
That 1997 romantic comedy-turned-cult classic followed the whirlwind romance between Darius Lovehall, a poet and novelist played by Tate, and Nina Mosley, a photographer portrayed by Long. Since then, Long and Tate have reunited on-screen a handful of times. Once for a Walmart holiday commercial, and most recently, in the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic “Michael,” where Long portrays family matriarch Katherine Jackson and Tate plays Motown Records founder Berry Gordy. But this marks the first time in years that the two will lead a romantic feature together, and that alone has social media users giddy.
“Immediately, we just kind of had a nice little spark and a connection and it just felt natural. I didn’t feel any pressure going into the room [for the screen test], I don’t think she felt any pressure. Once we began to do our scene, I think they saw immediately that we were the right pair,” Tate told Entertainment Weekly in 2021, reflecting on their original Love Jones chemistry.
It’s safe to say that spark never left. and with Maxwell’s music setting the tone, it’s giving we’re about to fall in love all over again.
