Wish You Were Here: Everything we know about Julia Stiles' latest romantic drama

Wish You Were Here marks the feature directorial debut of actress Julia Stiles. The film is an adaptation of the namesake novel by Renée Carlino and falls under the romantic drama genre. It was released in theatres on January 17, 2025, by Lionsgate.

Molly Conners, Gabby Kono-Abdy, Amanda Bowers, Siena Oberman, Jane Sinisi, and Rick Dugdale are the film's producers. Lionsgate handled its distribution, while its production banners include Phiphen Pictures, Enderby Entertainment, and Little Fishy. Now, let's delve into all the important details of this film, including its cast and plot, among other things.

What is the plot of Wish You Were Here?

Wish You Were Here is adapted from Renée Carlino's romantic novel of the same name. The plot follows a young woman named Charlotte, who is searching for love and stumbles upon a man named Adam. However, later on, she later realizes that he is terminally ill and decides to help him navigate his situation.

Here's the official synopsis of the film:

A woman searching for a spark finds a whirlwind night of romance with a man only to discover he is terminally ill and commits to helping him spend his last days living life to the fullest.

Julia Stiles not only donned the directorial hat with Wish You Were Here but also wrote the screenplay.

Who is in the cast of Wish You Were Here?

Wish You Were Here features a talented ensemble cast, led by Isabelle Fuhrman as Charlotte, a young woman looking for love and eventually falls for a guy. Fuhrman is mostly known for her role in films like Orphan, Orphan: First Kill, The Hunger Games, and The Novice. Mena Massoud, an Egyptian-Canadian actor, plays the role of Adam with a terminal illness.

Other cast members of the film are listed below:

Jennifer Grey as Mom
Kelsey Grammer as Dad
Jimmie Fails as Seth
Jane Stiles as Stacy
Antonique Smith as Nurse Leah
Jordan Gavaris as Chucky
Gabby Kono-Abdy as Helen
Mike Carlsen as Jon Jon

Julia Stiles on adapting the novel into a film

In an interview with UPI, Julia Stiles spoke about adapting the novel into a film and the changes required in the process.

"It was a process. There was a lot to mine from the book and preserve from the book, but then there was a lot that we needed to shift."

Stiles also spoke about how directing Wish You Were Here might help her future work. She revealed that she wants to direct again.

"I joked in the editing room that I would never sit behind the camera again because you don't know how much the camera sees, but that's not true. I'll definitely [direct again]."

She further added,

"I think it'll free me up a lot as an actress because I can see how much you can trust your director. That's really what matters and, also, editing can shape so much that if you trust your director and the editor, you're going to be OK."

The 99-minute-long film was first announced in December 2024, with Stiles stating that she was deeply moved by the novel and decided to adapt it. Stiles has been acting since the age of 11 and has done several films in different genres.