Millie Bobby Brown and Gabriel LaBelle to Star in Netflix Rom-Com

Netflix has announced yet another rom-com to its growing lineup of rom-coms, this one starring Millie Bobby Brown and Gabriel LaBelle. Brown and LaBelle each officially signed on for Just Picture It, a romantic comedy with elements of sci-fi.

Brown, who is best recognized for her role in Stranger Things, will be taking on a completely different role with Just Picture It. It is Brown's first rom-com, and this will be her seventh overall project with Netflix. LaBelle, who received praise for his role in Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans, will star opposite Brown.

Filming is set to start on September 8, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia and continue until October 29, 2025. Netflix has not released a premiere date yet, but Just Picture It is expected to come to Netflix in late 2026.

 

 

 

 

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A New Spin on Romance with a Touch of Sci-Fi

Just Picture It follows two college students who are living their life as normal until they notice pictures on their phones showing the two of them together - 10 years in the future. In the photos, they are married with kids and living a seemingly blissful life. There is just one catch - they've never even met.

The narrative follows the two of them when they finally do meet in person and attempt to make sense of what the photos imply. Are they witnessing their true future or is it a technological glitch? While trying to solve the mystery, they will also begin to explore what could lead to an actual bond.

This high-concept notion brings together romance and technology, taking a fresh spin on the concept of destiny. This is the kind of story that creators will want to put in front of younger viewers while also targeting fans of more traditional rom-coms, as it uses a modern model accompanied by familiar emotional storytelling.

The film is directed by Lee Toland Krieger, who has experience in romantic dramas and dramas such as The Age of Adaline and episodes of Netflix’s You. The screenplay is from Jesse Lasky, a former writer for The Late Show with David Letterman.

Millie Bobby Brown is also producing the film with her company PCMA Productions, along with Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum of R/K Films. Other producers include Jake Bongiovi, Alyssa Altman, and David Kern.

The movie will likely get a lot of attention not only for its lead cast but also because it reflects a new direction for Brown’s acting career. After building a presence in sci-fi and drama, she is now taking on a much less serious, rom-com-style project. As for LaBelle, it’s another leap forward after critical acclaim for a reported performance in The Fabelmans.

As productions play a key role the success of Netflix films, if they start prioducing soon, Just Picture It could easily be one of the more stands out Netflix original films when it premieres next year.

On-Screen Chemistry: A Fresh Pairing With Built-In Curiosity

Most rom-coms rely on the audience's investment in the chemistry of the two leads. Brown and LaBelle have not worked together before, but this completely fresh pairing could serve as a strong marketing hook for Netflix. Part of the audience curiosity leading up to the release is likely coming from the fact they don't know how their chemistry will perform on screen, and crossing between platforms will likely generate a lot of social media discussion.

Behind the scenes, reports are circulating that Netflix has begun pre-release camera testing, and chemistry reads, which may indicate they are building a bet on this duo to carry much more than this one movie. This could potentially lead to nearly a franchise or even future collaborations.

The Real-Life Role of Jake Bongiovi in Production

Jake Bongiovi, Brown's real-life husband as of 2024, is listed as an executive producer on the film. Although there hasn't been much press about his involvement, it seems likely that they have done more than just the standard executive producing or boss-executive producing tier of work. That is, while they're not an idea or co-producing team (yet!), there is the prospect of producing together again, or maybe even writing together on a project.

This is also among one of the few times in Netflix's recent production history that a major young star is bringing their real-life partner onto the executive producer level—indicating Millie Bobby Brown is gaining some creative and commercial agency over her projects.