Nearly three years after Anyone but You became a global sensation, director Will Gluck is aiming for another romantic comedy hit with a premise that's equal parts sweet and absurd. One Night Only imagines a world where single people are legally allowed to hook up just one night a year—and on that night, two strangers played by Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro find themselves caught in a whirlwind of chance encounters, missed connections, and undeniable chemistry.
ShowtimeSpot has an exclusive first look at the film, showing Turner and Barbaro leaning out of their car windows, reaching for each other across the street. The image captures a moment of pure romantic possibility, set against the backdrop of a fictionalized New York City during its steamiest evening. Turner plays Owen, a hopeful romantic nursing a recent breakup, while Barbaro's Allie is a love-starved dreamer looking for something real. The problem? Everything—from traffic to timing to the city's chaotic energy—keeps pulling them apart.
The film's high-concept twist is pure Gluck: in this world, singles have only 24 hours to find a partner, turning the entire city into a frantic, Purge-like frenzy of romance. But for Owen and Allie, the night becomes a series of detours and missteps that test their connection. As they navigate the chaos, they might just discover that what they've been searching for has been closer than they thought.
Gluck, who also wrote the script based on Travis Braun's Black List–topping screenplay, has assembled a stellar supporting cast. Maya Hawke, Julia Fox, King Princess, Ben Marshall, Ziwe, Molly Ringwald, Nicholas Braun, and LeVar Burton all join the fun. In a recent interview, Turner praised Gluck's collaborative approach, calling him an "adrenaline junkie" who encouraged the cast to experiment and take risks. "We had two weeks of rehearsals, fine-tuning and rewriting, and then on set he'd say, 'Let's mix it up,'" Turner recalled. "It was a safe space to fall on your face and try stupid things. Incredibly liberating."
Barbaro echoed that sentiment, noting that Gluck's experience with rom-coms like Easy A and Friends with Benefits gave the cast confidence to push boundaries. The result, they hope, is a film that captures the same lightning-in-a-bottle magic that made Anyone but You a $220 million global hit.
For fans of Turner, this marks another intriguing role after his work in Masters of the Air and the upcoming time-traveling adventure Rose of Nevada. Barbaro, fresh off A Complete Unknown, brings her own dramatic chops to the rom-com genre. Together, they promise a chemistry that could make One Night Only the sleeper hit of the summer.
One Night Only arrives in theaters on August 7. Stay tuned to ShowtimeSpot for more exclusive looks at upcoming films.
