Will Gluck, the director of the forthcoming romantic comedy Anyone But You starring Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney, says you should know a few things about his 2023 movie release, chiefly: he knows he made a “mistake.” If you happened to have seen the teaser trailer for Sweeney and Powell’s flick, you know it was less in line with romantic comedies and gave off more of an erotic thriller vibe than intended. As a result, Gluck is ready to get real about everyone’s reactions.
The filmmaker, known for his work on hit comedies like Easy A and Friends with Benefits, took the blame for the lackluster reception of the teaser. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, he candidly discussed the unexpected reaction and the missteps that led to the teaser falling short of expectations. The veteran director revealed:
I blame myself. The teaser wasn’t well received and I put that completely on my own shoulders. We tried to get too cute with it. It is a big fun comedy, and if you saw that teaser without anything else, you’d think, ‘Is someone going to get killed? Is this a thriller?’ That was a mistake on my part. I just wanted people to lean in and say, ‘What is this?’
Indeed, people were left wondering, “What is this?” The initial preview was set against the edgy backdrop of WizTheMc’s “Death of Me” and featured seductive shots of the leads. Needless to say, audiences were left a bit confused.
Will Gluck acknowledged the crucial role that a teaser plays in shaping audience expectations. He expressed his desire for viewers to be intrigued and excited about the film, setting the stage for the hilarious and heartwarming experience that the film promises to deliver. Unfortunately, the teaser fell short of conveying the true essence of the movie, leading to a disconnect between the audience’s expectations and the actual genre of the production. As he puts it:
People leaned in [to the teaser] and said, ‘I’m not going to like this,’ which is not what the movie is. The movie is an edgy R-rated comedy with romance and farcical elements. It’s big music numbers and wish fulfillment. You get to see sunny Australia in the middle of winter in the West. That’s what you’re going to see in the trailer. So wipe that [teaser] out of your memory.
The latest full-length trailer for Anyone But You dropped on Thursday and is undeniably more in line with rom-coms. It deftly navigates the backstory of Bea (played by Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (played by Glenn Powell), unraveling the intriguing reason behind their faux romance – their shared history with mutual exes. Enhanced by a lively Olivia Rodrigo-infused soundtrack, the trailer leans into a more playful and less serious tone.
However, even the updated piece didn’t escape a bit of ribbing. The lead-in for it features some good-natured banter between the cast. Known for his hilarious, big, and ridiculous schemes on Nathan For You, writer/actor Nathan Fielder shot a promo with Emma Stone for their new show The Curse. And the advert seemingly playfully poked fun at the awkwardness of the rom-com trailer lead-in. The jokes may continue to fly until release day, and it’ll be then that viewers can finally feast their eyes on Will Gluck’s film in its entirety and make up their own mind regarding what genre mold it truly fits.
Anyone But You hits theaters on December 22. If it doesn’t pique your interest, even after two very different trailers, check out Fielder and Stone’s The Curse on Showtime or with a Paramount+ subscription.