When it was announced that Mindy Kaling was writing and producing a reboot series of Four Weddings and a Funeral, my first thought was, “well of course.” After all, who better to tackle the beloved 1994 British romantic comedy than the most vocal romcom fangirl herself? And now that the first trailer has landed, it seems even more obvious how well suited Kaling is to the material. After all, there is no stronger OTP than Mindy Kaling and romantic comedies.
The series synopsis reads:
“Maya (Nathalie Emmanuel), the young communications director for a New York senatorial campaign, receives a wedding invitation from her college schoolmate now living in London. She leaves her professional and personal life behind, in favor of traveling to England and reconnecting with old friends and ends up in the midst of their personal crises. Relationships are forged and broken, political scandals exposed, London social life lampooned, love affairs ignited and doused, and of course there are four weddings… and a funeral.”
One of the strongest aspects of the original film was the chemistry and banter between the group of friends (a signature of screenwriter Richard Curtis). Joining Maya are college friends Ainsley (The Mindy Project‘s Rebecca Rittenhouse), Craig (You’re The Worst‘s Brandon Mychal Smith), and Duffy (Search Party‘s John Reynolds), along with Kash (Indian Summers‘ Nikesh Patel), a handsome stranger Maya sparks with at the airport.
The trailer promises many needed updates to the story, including a diverse cast filled with people of color. While Mike Newell’s film was one of the first major romcoms to feature an openly gay couple and a deaf character, it was (as were most films of the 90s) blindingly white.
Kaling said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, “I wanted to take the themes and the essence of the movie and apply it through my eyes of what I would like to see that I haven’t seen yet. I know so many beautiful, funny, interesting African-American girls and so many handsome, hilarious British-Pakistani and British-Indian guys and I don’t think anyone would put them together if I’m not going to do it.”
Emmanuel echoed Kaling’s sentiment, saying of the 1994 film, “Let’s be honest, Four Weddings is one of the whitest movies ever … There weren’t many of us that you saw on screen in movies of that era.” Planned as the first chapter in an anthology series, FWAAF promises the same lighthearted humor and romance of predecessor, which will see the cast attend four weddings and funeral (naturally) over the course of the 10-episode series.
As streaming services continue to stake their claim in the romantic comedy genre, Four Weddings and a Funeral looks like a welcome addition to the current romcom renaissance we’re all enjoying.
The first four episodes of the series premiere on Hulu on July 31.
(image: Jay Maidment/Hulu)
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