Nearly three decades after they first lit up the screen together, Larenz Tate and Nia Long are stepping back into familiar territory.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the pair, best known for their iconic roles in the 1997 film Love Jones, are reuniting for a brand-new Netflix romantic drama, giving fans another chance to see the chemistry that made their first collaboration a classic.
Love Jones followed the complicated relationship between Darius Lovehall, a poet and novelist played by Tate, and Nina Mosley, a photographer portrayed by Long. The story captured the rawness of young love and quickly became a cult favorite.
While both actors have built long careers since, the new Netflix project marks the first time they’ll lead a romantic film together in years.
The upcoming feature is inspired by Maxwell’s debut album, Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite. Released in 1996, it was recorded between 1994 and 1995 and is widely credited with helping bring neo-soul into the mainstream. Structured as a concept album, it tells the story of a passionate romance—from its intoxicating beginnings to its turbulent end.
Director Eugene Ashe, known for Sylvie’s Love, will helm the film, with a script from Kay Oyegun, a writer-producer on This Is Us.
Alongside Tate and Long, Maxwell will serve as an executive producer, joined by John D. Hammond. Macro Film Studios’ James Lopez, Charles D. King, and Poppy Hanks are attached as producers. Entertainment Weekly confirmed that Netflix officially greenlit the project earlier this month.
For Tate and Long, this collaboration continues a creative partnership that has stretched beyond Love Jones. They recently worked together on Michael, the upcoming biopic about Michael Jackson.
Long plays Katherine Jackson in that film, while Tate portrays Motown founder Berry Gordy. But this new Netflix title will be their first time stepping back into the world of onscreen romance together since the '90s.