Is BLACKPINK Lisa Leaving Jennie, Rosé and Jisoo? Netflix Unveils Notting Hill Inspired Film

The gossip cycle has a particular way of swallowing women whole. One moment they're announcing a new project; the next, strangers are asking whether they're 'leaving' the group that made them famous—as if a career can only be a single narrow corridor, and any door you open must be an exit sign.

So let's be clear, because the headline bait is already doing the rounds: there is no announcement that BLACKPINK's Lisa is leaving Jennie, Rosé and Jisoo. What has been announced is something else entirely—Lisa is making a serious play for Hollywood, with Netflix lining her up as the star of a 'Notting Hill'-inspired romantic comedy feature. That's not abandonment. That's ambition.

And it is, in its own way, very on-brand for 2026: global pop stars collecting careers like passports, moving between music, television and film because the ecosystem now rewards omnipresence.

Lisa—Lalisa Manobal—will lead the still-untitled Netflix rom-com, written by Katie Silberman, whose credits include Netflix's Set It Up and the acclaimed film Booksmart. The project will be produced by David Bernad, a The White Lotus executive producer, through his Middle Child Productions banner. Lisa is also attached as an executive producer alongside Alice Kang, a detail that quietly raises the stakes: she isn't just turning up to deliver lines, she's positioning herself as a creative player.

Netflix's Notting Hill-Inspired Film And Lisa's English-Language Leap

The 'Notting Hill' comparison isn't subtle, and Netflix doesn't seem to want it to be. The 1999 Richard Curtis film—Julia Roberts as the global superstar, Hugh Grant as the ordinary London bookshop owner—remains one of the genre's most recognisable fantasies: fame meets normality, romance survives the glare. Forbes, reporting on the new project, noted that with the Notting Hill inspiration, it's easy to imagine Lisa in the celebrity role at the heart of the romance, even if the streamer hasn't confirmed character details.​

What Netflix has confirmed, at least through industry reporting, is the broader shape: this is a 'Notting Hill'-inspired romantic comedy feature, modernised, not a direct remake. And crucially, it marks Lisa's first time leading an English-language film. For a star with a fanbase that already behaves like a global media network, that's a calculated next step—less 'crossover' than consolidation.

It also arrives at a moment when Netflix's rom-com lane is, frankly, hungry for events. Silberman's involvement suggests the film is likely to aim for a balance of warmth and bite rather than pure fluff. That matters because the first question cynical viewers will ask is whether this is simply a star vehicle. The second, harsher question is whether Lisa can carry it. Netflix is essentially betting that the answer to the second will make the first irrelevant.​

From The White Lotus To Netflix: Why This Collaboration Matters

This film didn't appear from nowhere. Multiple reports trace the idea back to The White Lotusseason three, where Lisa made her acting debut as Mook. Deadline reported that the project reunites her with Bernad, and that it has been developed with that existing working relationship in mind. Channel News Asia also noted that plot and production details are still under wraps, which is the industry's way of saying: the packaging is the point right now, and Netflix wants the announcement to travel before the script does.

Lisa's executive producer credit is the detail I can't stop thinking about. For years, female pop stars have been encouraged to 'act'—to take roles, to be the face, to be the marketing. Producing is different. Producing is leverage. It means meetings where decisions are made, not just sets where decisions are enacted.

And this is where the 'Is she leaving BLACKPINK?' chatter starts to look especially lazy. A member expanding into acting and production doesn't inherently signal a split; it signals what the biggest acts have always done: diversify, scale, and keep moving. The question isn't whether Lisa can exist outside BLACKPINK. She already does. The question is whether Netflix can turn that existence into a film that feels like more than a stunt.

For now, key details—co-stars, filming schedule, release date—remain unannounced. Which means the real story is the one Netflix has already successfully planted: Lisa, rom-com lead, Notting Hill energy, English-language debut. Whether the finished film lives up to that glossy premise is for later. The machine is already in motion.