Washington [US], February 20 : Phoebe Dynevor is set to headline 20th Century Studios' adaptation of Emily Henry's bestselling novel 'Beach Read.'
The actor, most recently seen in Lionsgate's dystopian drama 'Anniversary', will take on a lead role in the romantic comedy based on Henry's 2020 New York Times bestseller, Deadline has confirmed.
The story follows January Andrews, a successful romance novelist grappling with grief and crippling writer's block after the death of her father, and the discovery of secrets he had long kept hidden.
Seeking solace and closure, January spends the summer at her late father's Michigan beach house to prepare it for sale. There, she reconnects with Gus Everett, a former college rival and literary fiction author equally stuck in a creative rut.
In a bid to break through their respective blocks, the two strike a pact to swap genres for the summer, agreeing firmly that there will be no romance between them, a promise that proves increasingly complicated.
The film will be directed by Yulin Kuang, who also penned the screenplay. Kuang previously co-wrote the Netflix adaptation of 'People We Meet on Vacation', another novel by Emily Henry.
Neal H Moritz will produce through Original Films, with Karina Rahardja serving as executive producer. Sarah Shepard and Catherine Hughes are overseeing the project for 20th Century Studios, while the studio's literary affairs team, led by Clare Reeth, secured the rights to the book, as per Deadline.
Meanwhile, Dynevor's upcoming projects include the Netflix survival thriller 'Shiver'; A24's 'Famous' opposite Zac Efron; and 'Remain', a romantic drama directed by M Night Shyamalan and co-starring Jake Gyllenhaal, set for release by Warner Bros on October 23.
She has also completed production on 'Pendulum', a thriller from Mark Heyman, alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Norman Reedus.