MUMBAI: After a gap of five years, Hugh Grant is making a return to romantic comedies with The Rewrite.

Written and directed by Marc Lawrence, the movie also stars Marisa Tomei, Allison Janney, JK Simmons and Chris Elliott.

In the new comedy, the British actor plays a screenwriter whose Hollywood career peaked in late 80s. Now divorced and broke, he reluctantly accepts a teaching job at an American university.

Marisa Tomei co-stars as one of his students (Holly), who isn't impressed by the level of commitment that the professor is putting forth. Holly is a single mother who's taking classes to earn her degree. Meanwhile, Keith gets himself caught in a web of lies involving Matt Damon and Ryan Gosling.

This is Lawrence’s fourth collaboration with Grant after Did You Hear about the Morgans?, Music and Lyrics, and Two Weeks Notice.

The Rewrite is Grant's first romcom since 2009's Did You Hear About the Morgans? In the meantime, Grant voiced The Pirate Captain in Aardman's high-seas stop-motion adventure The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!, and also appeared in the film adaptation of David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas in a variety of roles including a nuclear power plant boss, an elderly care home escapee, and a vicious futuristic cannibal tribesman.

The movie is slated to hit theaters on 8 October in the UK, but no US release date has been announced yet.