Fans think (or at least hope) that romance author Emily Henry is not-so-subtly hinting about a potential rom-com starring Ayo Edebiri and Paul Mescal.
After The Bear star posted a selfie alongside Mescal on her Instagram account in honor of St. Patrick's Day, Henry and screenwriter Yulin Kuang reposted the image to their own accounts.
The reposts quickly led fans of Henry's to assume the posts were proof Mescal and Edebiri could possibly be cast in one of the many upcoming films being adapted from Henry's romance books, Variety reports.
According to the same Variety report, People We Meet on Vacation, Beach Read and Book Lovers are all in some variation of development and could, fans hope, possibly be films that could feature Edebiri and Mescal.
In a previous interview with Variety, Henry said she could neither "confirm or deny anything with casting for any movie."
"I will say that those two are my favorite 'Irish' actors," she continued, alluding to Edebiri's ongoing gag in which she pretends to be Irish and speaks during interviews in an Irish accent. (Honestly, you cannot help but stan.)
Henry did confirm, however, that she has thought about the pair partnering up for an upcoming rom-com in some capacity.
“I do. I think that they would be amazing. I actually saw them being discussed (online) for several different roles—and I definitely have a favorite," she continued. "But it’s fun, because different adaptations would either have one of them playing to type, or one of those adaptations would have them both playing to type, and one of them would have them both playing against type. It’s an interesting thing. I mean, they’re great, they could do anything.”
In 2023, while promoting his film All of Us Strangers, Mescal revealed he would love to act in a rom-com opposite Edebiri.
"I think in the next five years I'm going to set myself a challenge to do maybe a rom-com with Ayo or something like that would be cool," he said at the time.
While Henry is remaining hush-hush about casting for the upcoming films adapted from her romance novels, she is quick to assure fans she's listening.
"They also know that I’m always watching my readers and I want them to be happy," she told Variety. "So in my involvement in every single adaptation, my main goal is to represent the readers’ interests."
