Nigerian-American actress, Ayo Edebiri, rumoured to star with Oscar nominee Paul Mescal in a rom-com

Nigerian-American actress, Ayo Edebiri, is being rumoured to star with Oscar nominee, Paul Mescal in a new rom-com based on Emily Henry’s novel.

It would be recalled that the duo of Emmy Award-winning Ayo and Paul set dating rumours flying after posing together in a fun St. Patrick’s Day post earlier this month.

And now Paul Mescal and Ayo Edebiri are again the sources of social media rumours after fans began speculating that they might star together in a romantic comedy adapted from an Emily Henry novel.

Emily Henry, the novel author, has further helped the rumour by weighing in on the possibility of the two well-loved actors coming together to bring the novel to life.

‘I can’t confirm or deny anything with casting for any movie,’ she told Variety.

‘I will say that those are two of my favourite “Irish” actors,’ Henry added, referencing an online joke that Edebiri, who was born in the US to Barbadian and Nigerian parents, is Irish.

It was not the first time that Henry had considered Mescal and Edebiri as potential stars of an adaptation of one of her novels.

When asked if the two stars would be strong leads for potential adaptations, she answered, ‘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 favourite,’ Henry admitted. ‘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,’ she added.

Although finalized screenplays for adaptations of her novels Beach Read, People We Meet On Vacation and Book Lovers have reportedly not been completed yet, she said she hopes that ‘there’ll be stuff to talk about really soon.’

The rumors that the Aftersun star and the Bear actress might work together on an Emily Henry adaptation appear to have spread after the author and others connected to her work shared the photo of the two hanging out on St. Patrick’s Day.

Henry shared the photo after Edebiri originally posted it, and then the screenwriter Yulin Kuang also reposted it.

Kuang is currently at work writing an adaptation of People We Meet On Vacation, and she is also set to write and direct a version of Beach Read. Fans also became convinced that the two might star in an adaptation of Henry’s Book Lovers for somewhat more tangential reasons, as Tango, a studio that produced Mescal’s Oscar-nominated drama Aftersun, is also producing an upcoming film from the novel.

Fans were also primed to expect a collaboration from the acclaimed actors after Mescal told Awards Watch in November 2023 that he gave himself the ‘challenge to do maybe like a rom-com with Ayo.’

Despite the lack of confirmation, fans couldn’t contain their excitement on X (formerly Twitter).

‘Paul Mescal in an Emily Henry adaptation would literally save my life,’ one person gushed.

Another person joked that the stars appearing in a Beach Read adaptation would ‘ACTUALLY save lives (mine).’

Another user joked that she was ‘re-reading all my Emily Henry books’ in preparation for a possible adaption with Mescal and Edebiri.

One fan was convinced that Mescal would be perfect as the character Gus in Henry’s Beach Read.

However, not all X users were on board with the project, with one person sarcastically saying that Henry’s novels weren’t prestigious enough for the acclaimed stars.

‘Yes Emmy winner Ayo Edebiri and Oscar nominee Paul Mescal will of course be in an adaptation of an Emily Henry book, the prestige vehicle they’ve been searching for,’ read one sarcastic post.

Another person referenced jokes about Edebiri’s Irish heritage while praying that she would be saved from the romance novelist’s work.