Meg Ryan's acting career has been on a steady decline over the last decade, proving that aging out of America's youthful sweetheart into a middle-aged actress is damn near impossible. After a series of roles in the last few years in movies that nobody saw, Ryan is finally changing tactics and taking her considerable experience in the movie industry behind the camera. According to Variety she'll be directing Into the Beautiful, making her directorial debut on a project described as "a contemporary Big Chill, with longtime friends reconnecting."

Wendy Finerman and BCDF Prods. will be on board as producers, and Finerman told Variety that Ryan has no intention of acting in the film, though that still doesn't rule out the possibility of some kind of cameo. Here's what Finerman had to say about the film:

"I'm often drawn to pictures that make you laugh and cry. I think this is the perfect project for Meg to bring to life. She's poignant and funny and heartfelt."

Of course there's no evidence whatsoever that Ryan will display any skill behind the camera, but there are plenty of actors who have turned into directors with a lot less experience in the industry. Its remains a weird national shame that Ryan's career has fallen apart partly thanks to the immutable facts of growing old as a woman-- look how well her ex-husband Dennis Quaid is doing, for example-- but if she can make this shift into directing she might be able to have the last laugh after all.