Rumours of the death of the romantic comedy genre have been greatly exaggerated.

2018 saw one of the greatest flourishings of rom coms in recent memory, from several binge-watchable numbers on Netflix to the box office-smashing Crazy Rich Asians. Romantic comedies are back, baby, in case you ever despaired that they might be gone.

And boy does 2019 have some great examples for you. Long Shot, starring Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen, hits cinemas in May and promises to be a funny, flirty take on the office romance. Here is everything we know so far about the movie: 

What is the plot of Long Shot?

Charlotte Field (Theron) is a gifted diplomat and the Secretary of State in the US, eyeing a potential presidential run. Fred Flarsky (Rogen) is a journalist who marches to the beat of his own drum. When they were teenagers Fred had a huge crush on Charlotte, and when their paths cross again sparks fly. 

You know how it is. She’s just the Secretary of State, standing in front of a political reporter. Asking him to love her.

Is there a trailer for Long Shot?

There is. And it looks hilarious.

Good romantic comedies are built on the premise of suspension of disbelief. They are aspirational fantasies at their heart, an extraordinary way of looking at the very ordinary business of falling in love.

Long Shot is taking the same character types on display in, say, Knocked Up or Notting Hill and twisting them into a new context and scenario. Could one of the world’s most powerful women fall for her quirky speechwriter? And how would the power dynamic in that relationship work? Think of it as Bodyguard, but with less high-octane drama and way more sex.

For anyone worried about the optics of yet another opposites-attract romantic comedy, don’t be. Theron herself was concerned that she was going to sign up for “the Seth Rogen movie and I would be the girl who just stands there,” as she put it at a Q&A at the recent SXSW film festival. 

But the script, penned by rising star screenwriter Liz Hannah (The Post) shines with zinger after zinger of smart, savvy commentary about gender dynamics, not to mention the state of American politics. Count us in. 

Who is in the cast of Long Shot?

Theron flexes the impeccable comedic timing she showcased in Young Adult and A Million Ways To Die In The West in Long Shot, and Rogen is doing his same old Rogen-y thing. Joining them is O’Shea Jackson Jr (Ice Cub’s son), the charisma magnet who was such a charming screen presence in Straight Outta Compton and Ingrid Goes West. He plays Lance, Fred’s buddy and colleague.

Alexander Skarsgaard is perfectly cast as the Canadian Prime Minister James Steward, a matinee idol of a man rumoured to be romancing Charlotte. Bob Odenkirk plays a fictional (and feckless) American President, whom Charlotte is angling to replace. 

What are the critics saying about Long Shot? 

Very, very good things.

The Daily Beast wrote: “Long Shot… calls on political satire in a rom-com in a way that no movie since The American President has, owing as much to Veep as it does to the Richard Curtis classics we love, like Notting Hill or Four Weddings and a Funeral.” 

The Wrap wrote: “The playful chemistry exuded by Theron and Rogen really drive home that opposites-attract connection: Rogen’s off-kilter charm and jocularity pair well with Theron’s elegance and wit.” 

For IndieWire: “Charlize Theron’s workaholic Secretary of State exudes power and intimidation with her every move, putting Rogen’s overbearing journalist-turned-speechwriter in his place even as they fall in love; in the process, she injects this formulaic movie with fresh bite.” 

When is Long Shot in cinemas?

Long Shot will be released in cinemas in the US and UK on 3 May. 

Images: Lionsgate, Getty