“You, Me & Tuscany” starring Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page.
© 2025 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
“Bridgerton’s” Regé-Jean Page and “The Little Mermaid’s” Halle Bailey are teaming up to grace the silver screen together, in a new romantic comedy called “You, Me & Tuscany,” shot in Tuscany, Italy. The cast for the film was formed earlier this year, March 2025, with “Matlock” executive producer and “Marry Me” director Kat Coiro on board as director. “You, Me & Tuscany” is based on a screenplay by Ryan Engle, with an original idea by Ryan Engle and Kristin Engle. The movie is also produced by Will Packer, a blockbuster producer of films such as “Girls Trip.”
Halle Bailey (The Little Mermaid, The Color Purple) stars as Anna, a young woman who has abandoned her dreams of becoming a chef and is now drifting through her twenties with a series of bad choices. When Anna loses her house-sitting job (and housing) in one fell swoop, a chance encounter with Matteo—a handsome Italian who happens to have a villa sitting empty in Tuscany—will inspire her to jet off for Italy, against the advice of her always-honest bestie, Claire (Home Before Dark’s Aziza Scott).
But Anna’s plan to crash at Matteo’s villa, without permission, just for one night, falls apart when Matteo’s mother, Gabriella (Italian film icon Isabella Ferrari) shows up at the house unexpectedly. In a panic, Anna allows Gabriella to believe that she is Matteo’s fiancée.
“You, Me & Tuscany” starring Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page
© 2025 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
That little lie becomes a big problem, though, when Matteo’s cousin, Michael (Regé-Jean Page; Bridgerton, Black Bag) shows up, and Anna discovers that the heat between them may ignite a fire that will transform her life. The film’s international cast includes Lorenzo de Moor (The Legend Hunters) as Matteo, Marco Calvani (The Four Seasons) as an Italian taxi driver who befriends Anna and Academy Award® nominee Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) as Anna’s house-sitting client, Mrs. Dunn.
During the “You, Me & Tuscany” global trailer launch event, Jacqueline Coley, editor at Rotten Tomatoes, was joined by the stars of the film, Halle Bailey, Rege-Jean Page, director Kat Coiro, and producer Will Packer.
Coley asked Packer what it feels like to come back into a classic version of a rom-com that really hearkens back to some of our favorites. “That’s literally what we wanted to do here, and I’ve done some things in this space, nothing like this before. First of all, we were having so much fun in real life on this set, and I always feel that with a movie, you can tell when the energy is organic and when it’s not. We were there and, in between a whole lot of wine and pasta and beautiful vineyards, we managed to shoot a really fun movie,” he said.
(from left) Producer Will Packer and director Kat Coiro on the set of You, Me & Tuscany. Photo Credit: Giulia Parmigiani/Universal Pictures
© 2025 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
The noted producer also spoke about how sustainability practices were integrated into the production process in Italy, as a significant part of the film’s production, as part of Universal Pictures’ Greener Light initiative. “Look, we work in Hollywood, an industry that has had a mixed record, I will say, when it comes to sustainability, being green, thinking about the future. One thing about our partners at Universal is that they take that very seriously. We were entering a whole new country with a completely different culture and landscape, we wanted to ensure that everything, from the beverages the cast and crew consumed on set, including the water bottles they used, to the food, was sustainable. This included recycling and sourcing local products. All of that was thought about, every aspect. It was important, and that’s something that Kat and I talked about a lot to make sure that, ‘Okay, we’re coming in and we want to showcase this amazing place, but let’s not be like some Hollywood productions and you just come and take, take, take, take, take and give nothing back,’” Packer stated.
He continued, “We tried to give something back, we tried to do it sustainably, and we tried to work by example. You have a big crew, you’ve got a lot of things to bring in, and you’ve got a lot of equipment, but every chance we got, we tried to do it in a way that had as minimal an impact as possible. We did it in a sustainable and really eco-friendly way. It was really important.”
Coley asked Bailey and Page what drew them into the project, as they’ve done notable rom-com projects before. “I truly wanted to be a part of this project because when I read the script, I was like, ‘This is a movie I want to watch with my sister, this is the movie I want to be with my girls, like, ‘Oh, my gosh, do you see him?’ This is a movie that makes me feel good; it’s joyful, and I was also really inspired to play Anna’s character. I was really inspired by her journey, which involves discovering her passions, finding herself, and rediscovering what she wants for herself. I also appreciated how she navigates self-doubt and regains her power, as well as her inspiration from Rege’s character. There are so many layers to this film that’s so beautiful, and I was just very grateful to be a part of it, to be honest,” shared Bailey.
Page chimed in, “I think people give rom-coms a short rap sometimes, but what happens when you stop telling love stories? First of all, one of the reasons you do this is because it’s incredibly easy to fall in love with Halle Bailey. There’s something about the energy that this woman brings to the set. It’s so light, so full of love.”
Bailey elaborated about her character, Ana’s passion for food, and how the Tuscan backdrop inspired creativity on the set. “I was so excited to be able to play someone who loves making food, a chef. She’s very passionate about it. I have things that I’m really passionate about, and singing and music are one of them. It was really beautiful to explore where your inspiration and passion come from and how that fire you may have for music or singing in a recording studio fuels your creativity. That person who’s making the food, they have that same fire, that same want, that same greed and need for this hunger that lives inside of them. Discovering that within Anna was a really fun thing for me to try and do, and it was fun to take cooking classes,” she shared.
Page opened up about how the film is immersive and aspirational due to its Italian location. “It’s that full-world immersion. That’s what everyone said – it’s escapism. You want to step through the screen into the world that we’ve painted for you so carefully and lovingly. The fields are wide, the sunsets are stunning, the love is so much bigger when you share it with your friendship group, with the people that you love. When you get to see each other differently when you walk out of the theater, and know that we’ve had a great time. The biggest thing we discussed was putting joy on the screen. I don’t think there are many spaces where we can go together that are very common, where you can be joyful in a group. I think if you want that space, that’s what we’re providing for you,” he said.
You, Me & Tuscany will be released in movie theaters on Friday, April 10, 2026.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/dominiquefluker/2025/11/17/halle-bailey-and-reg-jean-page-star-in-captivating-new-rom-com-you-me–tuscany/
