One of BookTok’s most beloved romance novels is officially in production — and its cast just received a significant addition.
Gavin Leatherwood, best known for his role in Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, has joined the cast of It Happened One Summer, the film adaptation of Tessa Bailey’s bestselling novel that has sold over two million copies in the US alone and become a phenomenon within TikTok’s literary community, according to Screen Daily. Production is currently underway in New York.
Table of Contents
The Story
It Happened One Summer is the first installment in Bailey’s Bellinger Sisters romance series. The story follows a glamorous Los Angeles socialite whose carefully constructed life falls apart overnight after a viral incident leads to her being publicly cancelled. Exiled from her world and sent to a remote, rugged fishing town, she faces an ultimatum — restore her late father’s rundown dive bar or lose her inheritance entirely. What she doesn’t expect is what — and who — she finds there.
The Cast
Leatherwood joins a previously announced ensemble that includes Nina Dobrev of The Vampire Diaries, Tyler Hoechlin, and Virginia Gardner. The combination of Dobrev’s existing fanbase and the novel’s passionate BookTok following gives the production a strong built-in audience ahead of release.
The Creative Team
The film is directed by Peter Hutchings, who previously helmed The Hating Game in 2021. The screenplay was co-written by Christina Mengert — who also worked with Hutchings on The Hating Game — and Joseph Muszynski. The project is produced by Claude Dal Farra and Brian Keady for BCDF Pictures, with Embankment handling world sales.
A release date has not yet been announced.
Discover more from A2Z Filming Location
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.