James L. Brooks has written and directed some all-time classics — including the Best Picture winner Terms of Endearment and the favorite As Good As It Gets — but it’s been 15 years since his last movie. That gap officially comes to an end with the 2025 new movie Ella McCay.
The dramedy feels very much in Brooks' wheelhouse, which should be good news for his long-time fans and a nice reintroduction for younger movie fans who may not have seen his past work.
Read on below to find out everything that you need to know about Ella McCay.
Ella McCay release date
Ella McCay premieres on December 12 in US and UK movie theaters.
Again, that will be just shy of 15 years since Brooks’ last movie, How Do You Know, which premiered in movie theaters on December 17, 2010.
Ella McCay cast
Emma Mackey has nabbed her biggest role to date, playing the titular Ella McCay. Mackey broke out in the Netflix series Sex Education, but has starred in notable movies including Death on the Nile, Barbie and Emily.
A strong supporting cast is also on board, featuring Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All at Once, Freakier Friday), Jack Lowden (Slow Horses, Dunkirk), Kumail Nanjiani (Only Murders in the Building, The Big Sick), Emmy winner Ayo Edebiri (The Bear, After the Hunt), Spike Fearn (Alien: Romulus, Back to Black), Rebecca Hall (Godzilla vs Kong, The Town), Julie Kavner (The Simpsons, Click), Becky Ann Baker (Jackpot, Ted Lasso), Joey Brooks (Winning Time, Succession), Oscar nominee Albert Brooks (Broadcast News, Finding Nemo) and Oscar nominee Woody Harrelson (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Last Breath).
Ella McCay plot
Written by James L. Brooks, Ella McCay’s synopsis reads:
“An idealistic young woman juggles her family and work life in a comedy about the people you love and how to survive them.”
Ella McCay trailer
Watch the trailer for Ella McCay right here:
James L. Brooks movies
Before he started to make movies, Brooks was a prolific TV writer, writing for the likes of The Andy Griffith Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Taxi, Lou Grant and others. He has also been a key creative force on the longest-running animated series of all time, The Simpsons.
But in terms of his movies, here is Brooks' filmography, all of which he wrote and directed:
- Terms of Endearment (1983)
- Broadcast News (1987)
- I’ll Do Anything (1994)
- As Good As It Gets (1997)
- Spanglish (2004)
- How Do You Know (2010)
Ella McCay behind the scenes
A production of 20th Century Studios, Gracie Films and Hurwitz Creative, Ella McCay is produced by Brooks, Richard Sakai, Julie Ansell, and Jennifer Brooks.
Ella McCay was filmed primarily in Rhode Island.
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