More than two decades after “Mean Girls” made “On Wednesdays we wear pink” a permanent part of pop culture, Lindsay Lohan and director Mark Waters are working together again. The new Lindsay Lohan Netflix movie is called “Return to You,” as first reported by What’s on Netflix.
The rom-com pairs Lohan with Henry Golding, and cameras started rolling Sept. 28. That reunion angle is the big hook here: Waters directed Lohan in both “Freaky Friday” and “Mean Girls,” two of the defining comedies of her early career. Now they’re teaming up again, this time as director and actor-producer.
What the Lindsay Lohan Netflix movie is about
The film is set in 2008 and leans into a nostalgic late-2000s vibe. Lohan plays a divorce attorney who is powerful and guarded but lonely. Her life changes when a heartfelt DVD recorded by a dying woman for her husband lands with her by mistake.
After the late wife’s farewell video goes missing in the mail, the attorney ends up playing matchmaker from beyond the grave without realizing it.
Golding plays the grieving widower opposite Lohan’s attorney character, a role that continues his run of high-profile romantic and dramatic parts following “Crazy Rich Asians,” “A Simple Favor,” “The Gentlemen” and “Close Personal Friends.”
The script comes from Eric Champnella, who previously wrote “Alex & Me” and “Unstoppable.”
Behind the camera
Brad Krevoy is producing through Motion Picture Corporation of America, the company behind Netflix’s “A Christmas Prince” trilogy and “The Princess Switch” franchise. That track record matters. MPCA has essentially built a pipeline of glossy, feel-good Netflix romances, and the new Lindsay Lohan Netflix movie fits squarely into that lane.
Lohan is producing alongside Krevoy, giving her a hand in shaping the project beyond just starring in it. Olivia Krevoy, Jimmy Townsend and Galen Fletcher round out the executive producer team, with Fletcher also serving as a line producer.
Ed Wu is the director of photography, Robin D. Cook and Jonathan Oliveira are handling casting, Jessica Cheung is line producer and production manager, and Mitch Yu is production coordinator.
Waters isn’t new to Netflix rom-coms either. His recent work for the streamer includes “La Dolce Villa” and “Mother of the Bride,” so this reunion with Lohan lands in the middle of an already busy stretch for him on the platform.
The production timeline
Here’s where things stand:
- Pre-production began Sept. 21.
- Principal photography started Sept. 28.
- Filming is based in Toronto, with some reports suggesting a trip to Chicago (unconfirmed).
- The shoot is scheduled to wrap Nov. 10.
Whether the production actually makes it out to Chicago remains an open question. So does the eventual release window, though What’s on Netflix projects mid-to-late 2027 as the likely target.
Why this reunion matters
Lohan’s Netflix run has quietly turned into one of the more notable career comeback stories in recent memory. It started with “Falling for Christmas” in 2022, continued through “Irish Wish” and “Our Little Secret” in 2024, and now adds “Return to You” as the fourth Lindsay Lohan Netflix movie.
Each one has leaned into warm, nostalgic romantic comedy territory, a genre she helped define as a teenager and is now revisiting as an adult with a producing credit attached.
Pairing back up with Waters adds a layer of sentimentality that fans of “Freaky Friday” and “Mean Girls” will notice immediately, even though “Return to You” is an entirely original story with no connection to either film.
With cameras already rolling, the next things to watch for in the Lindsay Lohan Netflix movie are additional cast announcements and whether Netflix confirms a release date once the shoot wraps in November.
Source: What’s on Netflix
