Sydney Sweeney & Glen Powell Nearly Made $220M Rom-Com Reunion In One Night Only

EXCLUSIVE: We almost got a brilliant rom-com reunion in a notable director’s new movie!

One Night Only is the new comedy from Will Gluck, which is also a kind of dystopia, starring Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner as its romantic leads. The cast also features Maya Hawke, Molly Ringwald, and LeVar Burton. Gluck is a modern icon of the genre, having directed the 2023 hit Anyone But You starring Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney, who nearly appeared in his latest feature.

In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Liam Crowley, Gluck commented on two side characters in One Night Only. “Sydney and Glen, if I’m not mistaken, likeness cameos in this film,“ Crowley said. “I can’t speak to that, but if you saw that, sure,” Gluck quipped back. The director did respond, however, to the question: “Was there ever an ambition to have them actually in the flesh or was it always just going to be a quick little likeness pop-up?“

Check out Gluck’s comments below:

I will say you’re onto something. I will say scheduling is a bitch. But yeah, so I always like to put other people from my other movies. All my movies, I almost always have people from other movies kind of pop up for fun because I just like being with them for a night, which is great, but they were nice enough to let us do what we did with them.

Powell and Sweeney, two of the most in-demand stars in Hollywood, were apparently not available to cameo in One Night Only. Gluck’s new release follows Allie (Barbaro) and Owen (Turner), New Yorkers who live in a world where it is even more difficult to find true love when pre-marital sex is only legal for one night a year. While the previous duo’s appearance could have been hilarious in this context, their lookalikes will have to do.

Powell and Sweeney, on the other hand, starred in Gluck’s modern retelling of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, which was a major hit in 2023, grossing $220.3 on a budget of $25 million. Since then, Sweeney has starred in Madame Web, Immaculate, Eden, Christy, and The Housemaid, while Powell went on to be the lead of Twisters, Chad Powers, The Running Man, and How to Make a Killing.

As One Night Only debuted with a disappointing Rotten Tomatoes critics score of 49% (in comparison to Anyone But You‘s 53%, with an audience score of 87%), it doesn’t look like it will be the same success story. However, in ScreenRant‘s review for One Night Only, Alex Harrison claims that “this high-concept rom-com is everything you’d want it to be.“

“The political questions don’t go entirely unasked; some of the practical questions are even answered. But, more importantly, the filmmakers construct a societal atmosphere that feels shaped by this aspect of life,” argues Harrison. But addressing the romantic component, he says: “On their own, Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro are already good-looking, charming screen presences. Together, the air between them crackles.”

Barbaro has a recent Oscar nomination for her performance in A Complete Unknown. Gluck is also famous for a much earlier movie, 2010’s Easy A, meaning he is partially responsible for Academy darling Emma Stone’s breakout. Stone went on to cameo in Gluck’s 2011 feature Friends with Benefits, demonstrating how, as he continues to build his network of Hollywood talent, he can make his movies even funnier with such moments.

One Night Only is in theaters now.