Love Again: Cast, plot and release date of Celine Dion-themed film

The project, starring Priyanka Chopra and Sam Heughan, will be released on May 12

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Celine Dion’s music will be at the forefront of a new romantic drama titled Love Again. It was originally set to be called It’s All Coming Back to Me, the popular track from her 1996 album Falling Into You, before the name switch. The film is a remake of SMS fur Dich, the 2016 German hit directed by and starring Karoline Herfurth.

Filming for the project began in late 2020 in London and wrapped in early 2021. It is written and directed by James C Strouse and will also feature Dion in her acting debut.

Now more details have been revealed about Love Again, including its release date and trailer. Here’s everything you need to know about the coming film.

When will Love Again be released?

The film will be released in cinemas on May 12.

Who stars in the film?

Priyanka Chopra and Sam Heughan will play the lead roles in the romantic drama; Dion plays herself. Joining them in supporting roles are Russell Tovey, Steve Oram, Omid Djalili, Sofia Barclay, Lydia West, Arinze Kene and Celia Imrie.

What is Love Again about?

The trailer opens with Chopra as a grief-stricken woman named Mira still in mourning after she loses her fiance in a tragic accident. She starts sending romantic texts to his old mobile phone, but it turns out the number has been reassigned to a man named Rob (Heughan) who is suffering from a similar heartbreak.

The two eventually meet and feel a connection, but can’t seem to just forget their past — until Dion and her music gives them an extra nudge to take a chance on each other. In addition to Dion, the trailer revealed another fun appearance in the film: Chopra's real-life husband Nick Jonas as a potential suitor who her character goes on a date with.

The history behind the song

While Dion’s version of the power ballad is the most famous, there is an interesting backstory to the hit song.

Written by Jim Steinman, it was girl group Pandora’s Box who originally went on to record it first in 1989, although Meat Loaf had reportedly also wanted to record the song for years and include it in his album Bat Out of Hell III.

But Steinman declined, saying he viewed it as a “woman’s song” and even won a court order that prevented Meat Loaf from being able to use it.

After Pandora’s Box, Dion went on to record the song as well for her fourth studio album, Falling Into You. The song peaked at No 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks. It was critically acclaimed with Andrew Lloyd Webber reportedly telling Steinman he thought the song was “the greatest love song ever written” and that Dion’s version was “the record of the millennium”.

Eventually, Meat Loaf did record a version as a duet with Marion Raven in 2006. However, in an interview with Billboard magazine, he said he was still bitter that Dion got there before him.

"That was my song. I wanted to record it for Bat II and Jim said, 'Let's wait for Bat III' and I took him at his word. The next thing you know, Celine Dion is recording it."

A version of this story was first published on April 20, 2022

Scroll through the gallery below to see Celine Dion's style evolution over the years.

Updated: February 15, 2023, 9:49 AM