Andie Anderson and Benjamin Barry might be getting a second act. Paramount is developing a sequel to How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, with Kate Hudson signed on to produce, Variety reported on Monday. The studio hopes to bring back both Hudson and original co-star Matthew McConaughey to reprise their roles.
The 2003 rom-com followed magazine columnist Andie Anderson as she secretly tried to drive away a boyfriend within 10 days for a story, while her target, advertising executive Benjamin Barry, made his own bet that he could get any woman to fall for him in the same window.
It grossed nearly $180 million worldwide against a $50 million budget and has stayed one of the most rewatched studio comedies of its decade.
According to Variety, the sequel is still in early development, with no writer or cast members officially attached yet. Hudson will produce alongside veteran producer Stacey Sher through Sher’s Shiny Penny banner, and whether Hudson or McConaughey actually appear on screen will depend on the script that’s still being written.
Hudson has spent years fielding sequel questions, and she laid out exactly what it would take back in 2024.
“All that matters would be the script and if Matthew and I were into the script. I think we’re both totally open; it has just never happened.”
Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey’s Casting History
Paramount landing McConaughey wasn’t a given the first time around, either. Gwyneth Paltrow was originally eyeing the role of Andie before Hudson got attached, and producer Lynda Obst has said the studio and Hudson circled several names before everyone landed on McConaughey at once in a casting meeting.
McConaughey has since credited his real-life chemistry with Hudson for why the pairing worked in the first place. Speaking to People in 2024, he described their first meeting in vivid terms.
“Immediately, we were comfortable with each other, and we jacked with each other, and we busted each other’s chops, and we laughed a lot. There was a bit of rock and roll exchange, like, ‘Oh, this could be some heavyweight fun.’ And I think that’s why I was cast, and that’s why, for whatever extent, it worked.”
That history is exactly why Paramount wants both actors back rather than recasting the roles outright. A script is now the deciding factor for two stars who have spent over two decades saying they’d return under the right conditions. If the writing lands, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days 2 could be the studio’s next attempt to turn 2000s rom-com nostalgia into box office gold.
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