Family Leave - What We Know So Far
Following its premiere on the streaming service in March of 2021, "Yes Day" was a hit on Netflix among subscribers in spite of a poor critical reception. In "Yes Day," Jennifer Garner stars as Allison Torres, who, along with her husband Carlos (Édgar Ramírez), decides to acquiesce to virtually everything her three young children ask for a single day.
After "Yes Day" proved popular among its substantial viewership, Garner signed a multi-film deal with Netflix (via Deadline), in which she agreed to a "Yes Day" sequel and the sci-fi feature "The Adam Project," among other films. Like "Yes Day" before it, "The Adam Project" was a mixed success for the streaming service upon its premiere. On its debut weekend, for example, subscribers streamed "The Adam Project" for 92.4 million hours in total, in spite of criticisms like viewers taking issue with de-aging effects in "The Adam Project."
At the time that her Netflix deal was publicly announced, Garner had already agreed to work on another Netflix original film titled "Family Leave," which is currently in production. Here's what we know so far.
Who is starring in Family Leave?
Currently, the only on-screen talent attached to "Family Leave" is Jennifer Garner, per the details of the first major press release circulated about the film's production (via Deadline).
Her involvement, however, extends beyond just portraying a principal character. Garner will also produce "Family Leave," alongside Nicole King, founder of Linden Entertainment (via LinkedIn), as well as Lawrence Grey and Ben Everard, both of whom represent Grey Matter Productions. Meanwhile, Jason Brian Rosenthal is credited as an executive producer. Finally, Victoria Strouse is in charge of its screenplay, whose past credits include "Finding Dory" and "Let It Snow."
In a piece about the project for the blog What's on Netflix, author Kasey Moore learned that "Family Leave" will begin filming in December of 2022. Given that its start date is imminent, then, its cast presumably includes names aside from Garner, some of which may well be publicly announced as production ramps up.
What is the plot of Family Leave?
Thus far, the only concrete information available about the story of "Family Leave" comes courtesy of the press release circulated at the time of its announcement, which included a plot synopsis shared by outlets like The Hollywood Reporter.
According to this first look at its story, near the start of "Family Leave," two families on opposite sides of the planet wake up one day to find out they've switched bodies with one another. They then spend what sounds like the balance of the film attempting to meet up with each other so that they can all find a way to all return to their original bodies. A family called the Brenners is described as the film's protagonists, though whether Garner will portray a member of this family, or a woman whose body one of the Brenners takes over has yet to be detailed.
"Family Leave," notably, is not an original story, but based on the children's book "Bedtime For Mommy" by author Amy Krouse Rosenthal, first published in 2010 (via Bookshop).
What happens in Bedtime For Mommy, the book that Family Leave is adapting?
As it turns out, "Family Leave" marks the second time Jennifer Garner will star in a film adapted from material by Amy Krouse Rosenthal — as reported by Deadline, Rosenthal also authored "Yes Day," which served as the source material for Garner's prior Netflix vehicle. Some may also know Rosenthal as the author of the New York Times essay "You May Want to Marry My Husband," which went viral soon after it was published in the immediate wake of Rosenthal's death in 2017. Her husband Jason Brian Rosenthal, notably, will produce "Family Leave."
A short review of the book "Bedtime For Mommy" by Publishers Weekly outlines how it revolves around reversing the roles of mother and daughter. Action in the book takes place during bedtime, mirroring when the book might be read to a child in real life, but it's a young daughter that has difficulty putting her adult mother to bed, rather than vice versa.
How this translates into the body swap narrative promised by "Family Leave" remains to be seen, though the book's premise suggests that children might be performing parental roles and parents might behave like children in the film. More information on how the book's core subversion will factor into "Family Leave" should be revealed closer to its eventual release date.