Nancy Meyers Blindsided by The Holiday Limited Series

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Nancy Meyers might need to get Mr. Napkin Head on the case.

Following the announcement that a remake of her popular movie “The Holiday” is being developed for Apple TV+, the director admitted she had no knowledge of this upcoming series.

Meyers shared on his Instagram Stories on August 1, ‘I was taken aback!’ He had a screenshot of an article about the series as the first post he saw on Instagram.

In 2006, the 75-year-old filmmaker who created ‘The Holiday’ added a thoughtful emoji to her post without providing additional details.

In the previously mentioned report, it was stated that the Apple TV+ series will introduce a fresh group of characters who, much like Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz in the initial film, are expected to exchange homes during holidays. It’s likely they will encounter their own versions of Jack Black and Jude Law.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Meyers is not part of the adaptation process. Instead, Rob Delaney has been brought in as a writer, and Krissie Ducker will serve as an executive producer.

TopMob News has reached out to Apple TV+ for comment, but has not yet heard back.

Though Meyers isn’t participating in the Apple TV+ series, she has previously entertained the idea of a follow-up to The Holiday, as was most recently hinted at during her reunion with Law.

In a video on her Instagram from December 12th,” she asked the actor, “you’ve been interviewed numerous times, and people always want to know about a potential sequel. What are your thoughts on that?

In that instant, Law appeared somewhat shy as he glanced toward the camera. Then, he assumed his well-known Mr. Napkin Head persona, suggesting deep thought about the query.

Earlier, the actor who played Tom Ripley in “The Talented Mr. Ripley” mentioned that he’d consider a sequel only if it included Matthews as one of its creators.

Indeed, I would,” he said to TopMob News in December. “Under the guidance of Nancy Meyers, a one-of-a-kind filmmaker, we’d go. Her cinematic style is distinctive, extending beyond writing and directing to crafting entire worlds that are evident in her other works.

He commented, “I’m intrigued, as there were two lovely pairs of people, and it would be captivating to revisit them now and find out what they’re up to.

In keeping with the enchanting spirit of the original movie, I’d undoubtedly prefer the sequel to weave its tale during the holiday season, preserving that magical ambiance.

For more fun facts about The Holiday, keep reading.

1. It seems that when Director Nancy Meyers pens her leading characters Iris and Amanda, she has Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz specifically in mind.
– “I’d be lying to you if I said I don’t think about anyone while writing,” the well-known screenwriter told ComingSoon.Net. “It’s only natural to start imagining who will play these roles.”

2. To put it simply, casting Kate Winslet was essentially a done deal. “If you’re writing a 30-year-old woman in England, it’s obvious that Kate Winslet comes to mind,” Meyers explained. “She’s truly one of the great actresses.”

3. Interestingly, despite being the inspiration for Iris, Kate Winslet herself harbored fears about being dismissed from the movie.
– “I’ve never done a romantic comedy or something labeled as such before,” Winslet shared with About.com in 2006. “I was both excited to try something new and nervous. I worried, ‘Can I be funny?’ It’s terrible to fret about that. Jude [Law] and I talked a lot on the phone before we started shooting. ‘Oh my god, they’re going to fire us! They’ll recast. What if we don’t make them laugh?’ We were quite anxious about the entire thing.”

1. For the role of a California-based movie trailer editor who never sheds tears, Diaz was Meyers’ ideal pick due to her exceptional comedic skills and girl-friendly charm.

“Cameron is a talented comedienne and I carefully considered this decision before casting her,” Meyers expressed. “Once she was on board, she continued to impress me in that aspect. It’s quite challenging, I believe, to be both adorable and sexy while also being funny and relatable for women. I only work with actresses who fit this description, as male-oriented roles don’t appeal to me. So Cameron is a girl’s girl, and boys are drawn to her undoubtedly. She seemed like the perfect match for a California girl.”

2. Law may have charmed countless moviegoers as a single dad, but he wasn’t Meyers’ initial vision for the part.

“Jude’s character underwent significant development during the scriptwriting process,” she confessed. “I threw some unexpected twists and turns at him. When I had finished writing, Jude Law was the obvious choice due to his good looks and exceptional acting skills. However, I wasn’t certain if he would fit into this genre or be capable of performing in this manner. So I met with him, we discussed the script, and he grasped it perfectly. You see, he hadn’t had the opportunity to showcase these talents before.”

1. Meyers decided to cast Jack Black for the role of Miles, Iris’ romantic interest, after being captivated by his performance in “School of Rock”. She expressed to ComingSoon.net, “I found him incredibly appealing, he stood out on screen. He resonated with me as an audience member.”

2. While considering the role for this film, Meyers felt that Black would be someone she’d like to write a part for. She acknowledged that he’s not traditionally handsome, but she found him endearing and lovable. “This is the kind of guy I want to portray, this is what most guys look like if they’re fortunate, he’s so adorable,” she said. “Why not? Everybody has a heart and deserves love, and he should get a wonderful woman. So I paired him with Kate Winslet.”

3. Ultimately, being cast alongside Winslet was what convinced an initially hesitant Black to accept the role. In fact, Meyers tried to charm him over dinner, serving pasta.

4. “Kate was as incredible as I expected,” Black told Coming Soon in 2006. “She was one of the main reasons I wanted to be part of this movie. I’m a big fan of hers and admire her acting skills.”

8. The unexpected breast brush scene between Miles and Iris wasn’t originally scripted, instead stemming from a genuine incident involving Black and Meyers in real life.
9. In reality, Winslet and Rufus Sewell, who played Iris’ ex-boyfriend Jasper, were once romantically involved in the early 1990s for a few months. However, their past relationship didn’t cause any tension on set. As Winslet told the Irish Examiner, “It was completely fine. I hadn’t seen him for a very long time but we’d remained friends. It was really not a big deal. I was thrilled he got the part.

10. Amanda’s Los Angeles residence is stunning, but Iris’ adorable country cottage stood out as the most enchanting location among the team. After a while, the producers couldn’t find a suitable house in the area they liked, so they bought a field and designed their own cottage, closer to London.

Calling Meyers “meticulous,” Law explained during an interview on BBC Radio 2’s The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show in November 2024, “She scouted the entire region and didn’t quite find the quaint little cottage she was looking for. So she just rented a field and had it custom-built.”

The production team constructed Rosehill Cottage in just two weeks, with Meyers stating in a DVD extra, “We built that wall and planted those trees. It really was just an empty field. It attracted many tourists while it was there.”

Unfortunately, the building was demolished after filming, and all interior scenes were shot on a soundstage in Culver City, California. Thus, Meyers instructed her cinematographer Dean Cundey not to capture wide shots inside the cottage to make it seem smaller and more intimate.

11. One of the movie’s most memorable moments is Law’s Mr. Napkinhead performance, with many scenes being improvised, according to Miffy Englefield, who outperformed over 2,500 actresses to play Graham’s daughter, Sophie. Englefield told Vulture that Law came up with the line about smoking being harmful, while Englefield genuinely found Diaz’s reaction to the bit hilarious and said it would make her fall off her chair.

12. In an upcoming movie trailer that Amanda’s company is producing, Lindsay Lohan and James Franco appear in surprising roles. When asked about how this came about, Meyers said to ComingSoon.Net, “I’ve known Lindsay since I directed ‘The Parent Trap,’ so I told her she owes me big time, and I made her take part. She was sweet about it and agreed readily.” Regarding Franco, they had met at a few dinner parties through mutual friends. Meyers continued, “So I asked him to participate, and luckily he agreed. It turned out that Lindsay and James knew each other, making the whole experience fun.”

13. During a 2006 appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Dustin Hoffman shared an unplanned cameo in a Blockbuster scene. As Hoffman was driving by that store, he stopped to see what was being filmed. After chatting with Meyers for a while, she said, “Wait, I have an idea,” explained Hoffman. “So she put me in the movie, and foolishly, I didn’t try to negotiate my role.”

14. Amanda’s unexpected sprint back to the cottage to reunite with Graham wasn’t part of the original plan.

“By the end of that week,” Diaz shared with Vulture last year, “I was running about seven miles a day in those heels – through mud and hills. It was hilarious! I was literally saying, ‘I’m not even complaining right now because my job is to run, and I’m okay with that.’ But I was sweating!”

15. A staple in the romantic comedy genre, The Holiday posed challenges for Meyers to write after 2003’s Something’s Gotta Give due to the complex storylines.

“I wanted to create a larger scope,” Meyers confessed. “But not by expanding the subject matter with numerous characters and stories, which was actually enjoyable to piece together. The only deliberate decision I made was for each girl not to meet just one person. So, on Kate’s side of the movie she develops a friendship with Eli, helping and guiding her. I felt it would be better for the audience if we avoided having two girls who instantly meet men, fall in love, and follow similar storylines, but writing an ensemble film was fun.

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2025-08-02 00:47