A reboot of the romantic comedy “You’ve Got Mail,” presumably set beyond the era of the AOL greeting that gave the 1998 film its title, is officially on the way.
According to Deadline, the new “You’ve Got Mail” will feature a script by Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan, whose shared credits include “Josie and the Pussycats” and “Can’t Hardly Wait,” and is set to be directed by Jason Orley.
Though details of the reboot are scarce, the news drew a divisive response on social media, with many speculating on how the story would be updated for a modern audience.
“The original worked because Fox Books was the big, evil corporate villain threatening a cozy indie bookstore,” one person wrote on X. “In 2026, both of them would have already been put out of business by Amazon five years ago.”
Added another: “Today, Kathleen Kelly would take one look at Joe Fox’s typing cadence, run his profile through reverse-image search, and find his LinkedIn in 45 seconds.”
Still, others were quick to point out that the original “You’ve Got Mail” was inspired by the 1937 play “Parfumerie” by Hungarian playwright Miklós László.
László’s play became the basis for the 1940 film “The Shop Around the Corner,” starring Margaret Sullavan and James Stewart, and in 1949, the story was adapted for the big screen once again as the movie musical “In the Good Old Summertime,” starring Judy Garland.
A stage musical adaptation, “She Loves Me,” premiered on Broadway in 1963 and was last revived in 2016.
“It’s a classic story and if they do it right, it will be part of the family,” one person wrote.
Added another: “In other words, a third remake of The Shop Around the Corner.”
The original “You’ve Got Mail” followed Kathleen Kelly (played by Meg Ryan), the owner of a children’s bookshop in New York whose business is threatened by the arrival of Fox Books, a Barnes & Noble-style chain operated by Joe Fox (Tom Hanks).
The two become professional rivals while unknowingly developing romantic feelings for each other via their conversations in AOL chatrooms and over email.
Hanks and Ryan were hot off the success of 1993’s “Sleepless in Seattle” when they appeared in “You’ve Got Mail,” which raked in a reported $250 million at the box office worldwide.
The 1998 film was directed and co-written by the late Nora Ephron, who worked on both “Sleepless in Seattle” and “When Harry Met Sally,” which also starred Ryan.