‘Bridgerton’ star Phoebe Dynevor confirmed for Emily Henry’s book adaptation — here's what we know so far
Rom-com lovers, assemble. Your beach tote just got heavier. Phoebe Dynevor, best known for setting Regency hearts racing in ‘Bridgerton’, is stepping into a very different love story. This time, there are no dukes, no tiaras, no orchestral versions of pop songs echoing through grand halls. Instead? A lakeside house, messy feelings, creative burnout, and a rival who may or may not be trouble in human form. Dynevor has landed a leading role in ‘Beach Read’, the big-screen adaptation of Emily Henry’s bestselling novel, as per Deadline.
The project is being developed by 20th Century Studios, which clearly knows a good love story when it sees one. The original book, published in 2020, became a favorite among romance readers who like their flirting sharp and their heartbreak just a little messy. At the center of it all is January Andrews, a romance author whose personal life is anything but romantic. She’s dealing with grief after losing her father, and to make matters more complicated, she discovers that he wasn’t exactly an open book himself. Secrets tend to have long shadows, especially family ones.
So, in January, she heads to Michigan to sort through her late father’s beach house, planning to fix it up and put it on the market. The plan is simple and practical, except life rarely sticks to the outline. Enter Gus Everett. He’s a literary fiction writer. Grus is broody, slightly annoying, and January’s former college rival. The kind of guy who probably drinks black coffee and claims he doesn’t believe in happy endings. Naturally, he happens to be living next door for the summer. Because of course he is. Both are suffering from writer’s block.
So they strike a deal that sounds harmless at first: they’ll swap genres and spend the summer writing outside their comfort zones. January will attempt serious fiction. Gus will try romance. And they make one very firm rule: no falling for each other. We all know how that usually goes. The film will be directed by Yulin Kuang, who co-wrote ‘People We Meet on Vacation’, another adaptation of Henry’s work for Netflix. Kuang is handling directing duties from her own screenplay this time. She clearly understands Henry’s brand of banter-meets-vulnerability.
Producing the film is Neal H. Moritz through his Original Films banner, with Karina Rahardja serving as executive producer. On the studio side, Sarah Shepard and Catherine Hughes are overseeing development. Behind the scenes, literary affairs lead Clare Reeth played a key role in securing the rights to the novel. Meanwhile, one key detail remains under wraps: who will play Gus Everett? The male lead has not yet been announced, and guesses are already bubbling online. For now, fans can picture Dynevor trading Regency gowns for breezy summer dresses.
