Jennifer Lopez's Nuyorican Productions is adapting the romance novel Happy Place by Emily Henry. The best-selling novel was published in 2023 and received mostly positive reviews. It follows a longtime couple, Harriet and Wyn, who find themselves in an awkward position when they go on their friend group's yearly getaway without telling their friends that they've been broken up for the past five months. Harriet and Wyn attempt to keep this a secret during the trip while wrestling with their lingering feelings for one another.
According to Deadline, Netflix has optioned Happy Place to be produced by Lopez's production company, with plans to adapt it into a series already underway as producers, streaming executives, and writers begin meeting. Lopez's newest collaboration with the streamer comes after her recent Netflix film, Atlas, garnered 72.7 million global views. Her 2023 Netflix film, The Mother, had 136.4 million views. These projects, along with the adaptation of Happy Place, are part of a multi-year deal between Nuyorican Productions and Netflix.
Will Happy Place Be Better Received Than Atlas And The Mother?
Atlas & The Mother Received Mostly Negative Reviews.
Atlas and The Mother, which starred Lopez and were produced by Nuyorican Productions, performed well on Netflix but failed to impress critics. Atlas was critically panned, currently holding a 19% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 46% audience score. The reviews for The Mother weren't received as harshly, although it still has a rotten critical score of 46% and a barely fresh audience score of 62%. Lopez's performances in both films were praised, with the criticism being more rooted in the cliché and underwhelming stories.
Since Happy Place is based on a romance novel, it will offer a far different tonal and narrative experience from Atlas and The Mother, both of which were serious action movies, with Atlas being a science-fiction story and The Mother being an action thriller. Happy Place will be a lighter, albeit charming, and satisfying romance tale. Atlas and The Mother were based on original screenplays, which will not be the case with Happy Place being an adaptation. It will also be paced differently since it is a series instead of a film.
No details about Happy Place's casting have been revealed so far, leaving it unclear whether Lopez will play a leading role in the movie as she has in past Netflix and Nuyorican Productions collaborations. Regardless, Jennifer Lopez has already proven that her Netflix films are widely viewed on the streaming platform. Happy Place has the potential to continue bringing high viewership to Netflix while also winning over critics in ways that Atlas and The Mother were unable to do so.
Source: Deadline
