Zoey Deutch as Jill and Nick Robinson as Wes in ‘Voicemails for Isabelle.’ (Diyah Pera/Netflix)
Voicemails for Isabelle is calling, and Leah McKendrick wants you to answer.
McKendrick wrote and directed the new Netflix rom-com, which became the #1 film in the U.S. during its first weekend on the streaming service. She spoke to ABC Audio just ahead of the film’s release, where she said romantic comedies raised her.
“Longing has been a big theme in my life. Longing for my career, longing for love. And I think for a longing girl, a rom-com is her genre,” McKendrick said. “I believe that rom-coms are for everybody, but I think the girls really own that. And are unabashed about it.”
The rom-com follows a young chef named Jill (Zoey Deutch), who copes with the loss of her sister and best friend, Isabelle (Ciara Bravo), by leaving her voicemails describing her chaotic life.
McKendrick says the idea for this story came from her relationship with her own sister.
“My little sister is my first love and true love, and I feel like she’s the one that taught me what that even looks like,” McKendrick said. “When she was in college in New York and I was struggling for my dreams in LA, I would call her and leave these rambling voicemails.”
The voicemails featured McKendrick “crying about the job I didn’t get, the guy that I went on a bad date with or boy problems” — the list goes on and on.
“It’s really hard to curate a voicemail. I think it’s a stream of consciousness, especially if you’re talking to your sister,” McKendrick said. “I just thought, ‘I want a love story where a man falls in love with her for her heart and not for the way that she looks or the boxes that she checks or the chemistry that they have when they meet.’ It’s just really just him witnessing her.”
Jamie Foxx in ‘Jamie Foxx: Take Care of Yourself’ (Hulu)
It’s Jamie Foxx’s turn to take on Hularious, Hulu’s original stand-up comedy series. His special, dubbed Jamie Foxx: Take Care of Yourself, is set to premiere Oct. 7 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
According to the synopsis, it will see the comedian take the stage, delivering “a much-needed dose of self-care in his most honest, evolved, and unforgettable chapter yet.”
Jamie Foxx: Take Care of Yourself follows Jamie’s 2024 Netflix special, Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was…, his return to the stage after his 2023 medical emergency.
Luca Guadagnino attends the Dior Homme Menswear Fall/Winter 2026-2027 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on Jan. 21, 2026, in Paris, France. (Peter White/Getty Images)
It seems Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial is being eyed to be released by Neon.
Neon is in talks to pick up the film after Amazon MGM Studios decided it would no longer release it, Neon has confirmed to ABC Audio.
Amazon MGM Studios confirmed to ABC Audio it would no longer release Artificial in a statement shared on June 19.
“We have the utmost respect and admiration for Luca Guadagnino as an award-winning filmmaker – not to mention a longstanding relationship that we hope to continue,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement at the time. “We believe that Artificial will be better served if it were released by a different studio and are working closely with the filmmaking team to find the film a new home.”
Artificial is described as a comedic drama about the world of artificial intelligence. It explores Sam Altman’s OpenAI during a period in 2023 when Altman was fired and rehired in a matter of days. It is directed by Guadagnino from a script by Saturday Night Live alum Simon Rich.
The film’s cast includes Mark Rylance, Andrew Garfield, Yura Borisov, Monica Barbaro, Billie Lourd, Jason Schwartzman, Cooper Koch, Cooper Hoffman and Ike Barinholtz.
It would have reunited Guadagnino and Amazon MGM Studios after he directed the 2024 film Challengers for the studio, as well as 2025’s After the Hunt.
