A new chapter of “Bride Wars” is officially in the works.
A television adaptation of the 2009 romantic comedy is currently in development at Peacock, with Emma Roberts attached to star and executive produce, according to Variety. The project is described as a loose reimagining of the original film, which famously starred Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway as best friends turned wedding rivals.
In the updated version, Roberts will play a big-city wedding planner who relocates to North Carolina. Her arrival sparks an intense showdown with a beloved local planner when the two women find themselves competing to plan the same wedding. According to the logline, their professional rivalry quickly escalates into a larger clash involving friendship, community and love. The series has not yet received an official order from Peacock.
A New Spin on a 2009 Rom-Com Favorite
The original “Bride Wars,” directed by Gary Winick and released by 20th Century Fox, followed childhood best friends whose relationship unraveled after their weddings were accidentally booked for the same date at New York’s Plaza Hotel. The film went on to gross $115 million worldwide and later inspired a 2015 Chinese remake, per Variety.
The TV adaptation will be led by New Regency, with 20th Television and UCP serving as co-studios. Sascha Rothchild, known for her work on “GLOW,” “XO Kitty” and “The Baby-Sitters Club,” is attached as writer and executive producer, per Variety. Roberts will executive produce through her company Belletrist alongside Karah Preiss and Matt Matruski. Additional executive producers include Arnon Milchan, Yariv Milchan and Natalie Lehmann for New Regency, as well as Alexandra Milchan and Martin Salgo for Crescent Line.
Roberts is currently in production on the film “Hal” opposite Alexander Ludwig and also serves as an executive producer on the Hulu series “Tell Me Lies.”
The Film’s Unexpected Hollywood Legacy
More than a decade after its release, “Bride Wars” continues to hold a place in rom-com history. In a 2019 oral history with Entertainment Weekly, screenwriters Casey Wilson and June Diane Raphael reflected on how the project became their big break. At the time, the pair were unknown comedians who had never written a screenplay before being hired to rework the script after pitching directly to Hudson at her home, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Wilson and Raphael shared that the filmmaking process involved creative compromises, including navigating studio notes and the writers’ strike. While they originally envisioned a darker, more satirical take on wedding culture and female friendship, the finished film leaned more into glossy romantic comedy territory. Still, both credited Hudson with taking a chance on them and opening doors for future opportunities.
Seventeen years later, the franchise is poised for a new small-screen life. As the series logline teases, what begins as a battle to plan the same wedding may turn into something much bigger, with a rivalry that “quickly escalates into a larger clash over friendship, community, and, ultimately, love.”
