Anyone But You may be one of the most anticipated romantic comedies of 2023. I can personally say it's one of the 2023 new movie releases I'm most excited to watch before the end of the year. For me, that release date can’t come soon enough. And the movie's garnered a lot of buzz partially due to its stars, Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney, whose off-screen chemistry sparked dating rumors. You can depend on him to have swoon-worthy chemistry with his on-screen partners. Though the film has still yet to release, we do have some details to share about it, including that aforementioned release date.
In the last several years, the romantic comedy genre has been having a bit of a resurgence. They never left the public consciousness, but it seems like they've been gaining significant attention as of late. So it'll be exciting to see how this one is received by critics as well as how it'll perform at the box office. So without further ado, let's talk out what we know about the rom-com.
What Is The Anyone But You Release Date?
Deadline confirmed in May 2023 that Anyone But You is scheduled to come out around the Christmas 2023 season. December 15 is the rom-com's official release date. However, the ongoing WGA Writers strike and the SAG-AFTRA strike could lead to a delay, because if the latter continues indefinitely, the two co-leads wouldn't be able to promote the movie. Many are hoping both strikes will be over by the end of the year, but only time will tell whether that turns out to be the case.
It’s An Enemies-To-Lovers Story Based on Shakespeare's Work
The "enemies-to-lovers" trope is widely used in romance films and is a favorite of many fans of the genre. With that information in mind, it certainly tracks that Anyone But You is going with that approach. According to Variety, the official synopsis describes the film as being about college arch-nemeses who reunite at a wedding. And for some reason unbeknownst to us yet, they pretend to be a couple.
The film is loosely based on William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. The play revolves around two romances, and one of them involves a bickering pair who end up falling in love. We can assume that Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell’s characters' romance will be loosely based on the Beatrice and Benedick relationship in Shakespeare's beloved romp.
Anyone but You also seems to use the fake dating trope. This could give it a How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days or 10 Things I Hate About You feel. Though both movies more so involve a person tricking someone into dating and less of the ploy being initiated by two people.
Deadline also described the movie as a “screwball comedy,” based on viewing a trailer at CinemaCon. Variety further reports that the film pays homage to the romantic comedies made in the early 2000s.
Glen Power and Sydney Sweeney Star In Anyone But You
As previously stated, Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney play the romantic leads here. Not much yet is known about their characters, except that they loathe each other.
Glen Powell is probably best known for his roles in Scream Queens, Top Gun: Maverick, and Set it Up. He also appeared in the movies Everybody Wants Some!!, Hidden Figures and Devotion. Audiences can also look forward to seeing him in Hit Man and the upcoming Twister sequel, Twisters.
Surely, many will recognize Sydney Sweeney for playing Cassie Howard on Euphoria. She has also appeared on the shows like The White Lotus, Sharp Objects, The Handmaid’s Tale and Everything Sucks!. In addition, the rising star appareed in the movies Big Time Adolescence, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Voyeurs, Night Teeth and Reality. Sweeney can next be seen as a member of the casts of Sony Spider-Man Universe movie Madame Web, Immaculate and Echo Valley.
The Supporting Cast Includes Dermot Mulroney And Rachel Griffiths
Anyone But You also includes an interesting supporting cast that’s a mix of Hollywood vets and rising stars. The cast features Dermot Mulroney, Alexandra Shipp, Rachel Griffiths, Michelle Hurd, GaTa, Bryan Brown, Darren Barnet, Hadley Robinson, and Joe Davidson.
Dermot Mulroney is no stranger to romantic comedies, as he’s appeared in My Best Friend’s Wedding, The Wedding Date, and Must Love Dogs. The actor can also couth in Zodiac, August: Osage County, Insidious: Chapter 3, The Family Stone, Scream VI and The Safety of Objects. Mulroney also has TV credits by way of Friends, New Girl, American Horror Story: Cult, The Purge, Secret Invasion and Homecoming.
Rachel Griffiths also has strong rom-com cred thanks to My Best Friend’s Wedding. Her other big-screen credits include Muriel’s Wedding, Hilary and Jackie, Saving Mr. Banks and Hacksaw Ridge. She's also had roles on the TV shows Six Feet Under, Brothers & Sisters, When We Rise and The Wilds.
Alexandra Shipp has a solid resume as well, and it includes Straight Outta Compton, two X-Men flicks, Love, Simon, Tick, Tick…Boom! and House of Anubis. Michelle Hurd, meanwhile, has Blindspot, Star Trek: Picard and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit to her name, and GaTa stars on Dave.
Darren Barnet appears in Never Have I Ever and Love Hard. Hadley Robinson has appeared in Little Women, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Moxie and Utopia. Joe Davison has appeared in Mako Mermaids, Abandoned and Sons of Summer. Bryan Brown can be seen in Cocktail, Gods of Egypt and Two Hands.
A Rom-Com Pro Is In The Director's Chair
Will Gluck directs Anyone but You, and he's not stranger to this kind of production. His previous directing work includes the romantic comedies Easy A and Friends with Benefits. He has also directed the movies Fired Up!, the 2014 iteration of Annie, Peter Rabbit and its sequel. His latest flick is based on a script by Ilana Wolpert, with Gluck rewriting it (via Deadline).
Anyone But You Wrapped Filming in April 2023
Anyone But You filmed in Sydney, Australia for nine weeks. In April, People reported that filming had officially wrapped. Gluck told The Sydney Morning Herald that his two main stars fell in love with the city of Sydney. Apparently, they even made a pact to film another movie there together.
The Film Is R-Rated
Variety confirmed that the movie is rated R. It’s likely due to “lots of naked scenes,” according to ScreenRant and some of the antics depicted in the film. Deadline mentions that Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell’s characters get into lots of hijinks in the trailer shown at CinemaCon.
Filming Was Like "Summer Camp"
The Euphoria star has only spoken positively about her experience filming her latest movie. She spoke to Variety about acting like a camp counselor by scheduling activities to do around the city of Sydney. She told the trade of the experience:
It was so much fun, honestly. We laughed every single day and the cast and the crew were just a bunch of really great people, and we all got along. It felt like summer camp. It was a great breather from everything else I’ve done. That was the first time I’ve done something like that. So I definitely enjoyed it. And I might look for some more.
While there are still plenty of details that have yet to be divulged and a trailer has yet to be released to the public, the details above should be enough to get moviegoers excited or at least intrigued. Check out Anyone But You hits theaters on December 15.
