’Beach Read’ Cast: What’s Going on With Emily Henry’s Latest Book Adaptation?

Casting a role in a book adaptation really is an often-overlooked art form in the world of filmmaking.

In fact, the Academy Awards only just began acknowledging those behind casting decisions in general at this year’s ceremony by adding the Achievement in Casting category to the program, with Paul Thomas Anderson’s Best Picture-winning One Battle After Another taking home the inaugural prize. And, as fans of the genre are already well aware, casting is particularly important when it comes to romance films, as the chemistry between leads is typically the driving force of the story.

And earlier this week, fans of author Emily Henry’s mega-popular novel, Beach Read, let their feelings on a recent casting decision be known when Deadline unveiled the actors set to star in the upcoming adaptation.

Who was cast in Beach Read?

For those unaware, the story of Beach Read follows characters January Andrews and Gus Everett, two rival authors who specialize in wildly different genres. While Andrews typically thrives in her romance lane, she’s experiencing writer’s block due to events in her personal life. Simultaneously, Everett is in a similar place, struggling to pen his usual literary fiction.

This mutual issue leads the two authors to challenge themselves and each other by switching genres for the summer, with Andrews taking on literary fiction and Everett tasked with producing a romance novel. And as is the way with romantic comedies, plenty of banter and chaos ensues on the way to an unexpected happily ever after.

The first bit of casting news for the adaptation dropped back in February, when Phoebe Dynevor, best known for her role as Daphne Bridgerton on the first season of Netflix’s hit Bridgerton series, was cast as Andrews. Naturally, fans of the New York Times bestselling novel were anxious to see who’d star opposite her—and on Tuesday, April 14, they got their answer, with Patrick Schwarzenegger set to appear as Everett.

What was the fan reaction to the Beach Read cast?

The reception to this decision online was mixed, to say the least, with The Mary Sue noting the character’s description of having “olive skin” and “messy, dark curly hair” as clearly not matching Schwarzenegger’s look. Following the announcement, the film’s director, Yulin Kuang, took to Instagram to share some more information about what went into the decision.

“We saw a lot of men for this role ... I have always maintained that we are not casting a character, but a relationship,” Kuang wrote in part in the caption, adding, “Once we knew Phoebe would be our January, my efforts became more focused and specific—not on who would play the best Gus according to the text, but who would play the best Gus opposite our specific January.”

Still, one quick peek at the comment section on the director’s post reveals that this didn’t answer fans’ concerns, with one user writing, “Very, very disappointed. There is no way this was the best choice. I’ll stick with the book.”

As of this article’s publication, the film doesn’t have an official release date, but we’ll keep you posted as the story continues to unfold.

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