Ithaca trailer: Meg Ryan reunites with Tom Hanks in directorial debut

It’s been nearly a year since Meg Ryan’s Ithaca first premiered at the Middleburg Film Festival, and even longer since the rom-com queen last shared the screen with frequent collaborator Tom Hanks. Now, nearly two decades after the release of You’ve Got Mail, audiences can catch a glimpse at the pair’s (brief) onscreen reunion in the new trailer for Ryan’s directorial debut.

Adapted from William Saroyan’s 1943 novel The Human Comedy, Ithaca follows a teenage boy, Homer (Alex Neustaedter), who comes of age working as a telegraph messenger in the hopes of supporting his recently widowed mother (Ryan) after her eldest boy (Jack Quaid, Ryan’s real-life son), is shipped off to fight during World War II.

Hamish Linklater and Sam Shepard also star, while Hanks makes an emotional cameo in the film as the deceased husband of Ryan’s character. The trailer offers a short look at the touching moment shared between the veteran actors, who previously starred together in films like Joe Versus the Volcano and Sleepless in Seattle.

Ryan recently told EW Hanks’ scene took a single day to shoot, though she saw the small gesture as a sincere act of friendship.

“He’s just so dear. He so did not have to do that,” she said. “At the end of his time, he says to the crew, ‘All right, gather ‘round. Listen, I know we’ve gotten to know each other very well over the last 10 hours together, but I just want to thank you for being here for my friend Meg.'”

Ithaca is set for a limited release on Sept. 9. Watch the film’s new trailer in the video below.