Jennifer Lopez is feeling nostalgic about her rom-com roots and getting ready to dive back into the genre in a big way.
More than 20 years after Maid in Manhattan hit theaters, Lopez looked back on the experience in an Instagram post shared on Friday, April 10, getting fans hyped for her upcoming film Office Romance. The movie famously starred Lopez alongside Ralph Fiennes.
“Some never before seen BTS on the set of Maid in Manhattan by the incredible @BarryWetcher,” Lopez wrote, giving a shoutout to the photographer while posting behind-the-scenes photos that also featured Stanley Tucci, Bob Hoskins, and Natasha Richardson.
“So many feelings! Such wonderful memories!” she continued. “And now with Office Romance, I am back in my RomCom era. It's OUR Happy Era!!!”
The new film, directed by Ol Parker, is set to arrive on Netflix this summer. It stars Lopez opposite Brett Goldstein, with a supporting cast that includes Betty Gilpin, Tony Hale, Amy Sedaris, and Edward James Olmos. The script was written by Joe Kelly and Goldstein, and Lopez is also producing the project.
Lopez previously hinted that this rom-com will have a slightly different vibe than fans might expect. Speaking to Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live last October, she said, “It's not the typical JLo rom-com that you are used to, like the sweet wholesomeness.” She added, “It's a little raunchy. It's like the jokes are little — think more like Knocked Up… [There's] Something About Mary,” referencing the popular R-rated comedies.
Maid in Manhattan came out during what Lopez might consider her first rom-com run, alongside films like The Wedding Planner (2001), Gigli (2003), Jersey Girl (2004) and Monster-in-Law (2005). She later revisited the genre with Shotgun Wedding and Marry Me, both released in 2022.
Just a day earlier on April 9, Lopez also paid tribute to her Maid in Manhattan character in another Instagram post. “Twenty-something years later and I still think about Marisa Ventura,” she wrote. “A single mom who moved through marble lobbies and thread-count sheets that weren't hers…but carried herself like they could be.”
Office Romance is expected to premiere on Netflix this summer. Lopez has stayed busy with recent projects too, including starring in Kiss of the Spider-Woman last year, making an uncredited cameo in Anaconda, and appearing in the upcoming The Last Mrs. Parrish.
