The Emily Henry romantic world is ever-expanding.
From meet cutes in small towns, to lovers with long histories reconnecting, Henry's hit romance books continue to make it big on TikTok. Henry has released four romance books since 2020, with her fifth set to publish April 23.
"As long as the readers want them, I’m happy to write them," Henry previously told TODAY.com.
But her cinematic universe is just beginning.
Three of her novels — "Beach Read," "People We Meet on Vacation" and "Book Lovers" — are expected to get the big screen treatment. And fans are anxiously waiting to see who will embody their favorite characters.
Excitement over potential casting reached a fever pitch in March when Henry and "Beach Read" director and screenwriter Yulin Kuang both reposted a St. Patrick's Day photo of actors Paul Mescal and Ayo Edebiri on their Instagram stories, creating speculation that the duo might play one of Henry's famous book couples. To add fuel to the fire, the post came months after Mescal said in an interview he’d like to star in a rom-com with Edebiri, specifically.
Kuang told TODAY.com about her thoughts on the online chatter.
“We’re so early days that we aren’t really even having those conversations, is what I can tell you,” she says of “Beach Read” casting. “But no bad ideas here, guys. I love the enthusiasm.”
Kuang, a former fan fiction writer, added it was "thrilling to see people so excited."
“I come from fandom, and so I understand how it feels to see everything like, snowballing,” she said. “I remember when all the ‘Harry Potter’ books were getting announced, and I would watch, like foaming at the mouth and trying to read between the lines. God, I do miss being able to be in fandom from that end.”
Henry also addressed rumors of a Mescal-Edebiri pair in one of her adaptations in an interview with Variety last month.
“I can’t confirm or deny anything with casting for any movie. I will say that those are two of my favorite ‘Irish’ actors,” Henry said.
For the record, Mescal is Irish and Edebiri is American — but it's a running joke on social media that she's from Ireland.
Henry added that she thinks they'd be "amazing" at bringing one — or several — of her book couples to life.
“I actually saw them being discussed (online) for several different roles — and I definitely have a favorite,” she told Variety. “But it’s fun, because different adaptations would either have one of them playing to type, or one of those adaptations would have them both playing to type, and one of them would have them both playing against type. It’s an interesting thing. I mean, they’re great, they could do anything.”
While Henry and Kuang didn't confirm the casting rumors, here's what we do know about the upcoming adaptations of Henry's best-selling romance reads.
Three of Henry's books are being produced by different studios
Three of Henry's romances have all been optioned for film adaptations, but all with different teams, according to Henry's agents.
'People We Meet on Vacation'
Announced in October 2022, the first book that received the official adaptation greenlight was "People We Meet on Vacation," which will be directed by Brett Haley with a screenplay written by Kuang. The film is being produced by Temple Hill with the studio 3000 Pictures.
"People We Meet On Vacation" follows best friends Poppy and Alex as they embark on one of their annual summer vacations after a two-year hiatus in order to rekindle their friendship. (Because this is a romance, they of course fall in love along the way.)
Henry shared the news on Instagram last October and penned a simple caption alongside the announcement: "How's everyone's Tuesday?" she wrote.
Kuang, a screenwriter and romance author, marks the one overlap across the film projects, as she is also set to adapt and direct "Beach Read," with 20th Century Studios and Original Film producing.
'Beach Read'
In "Beach Read," two writers, January and Gus, try to overcome writer's block by swapping signature genres while living (and loving) on the shore of Lake Michigan.
"Beach Read," while the first in the Henry literary universe, was Henry's most recent book-to-film announcement. The author shared the news April 5, 2023, on Instagram.
"Who's ready to cry," she wrote.
Kuang, who will make her feature-length directing debut with "Beach Read," opened up about her approach to adapting the novel in an Instagram post, in which she revealed that she reread the book in Holland, Michigan, for a "Beach Read-Inspired Grand Tour" of the story's setting.
“I love January and Gus and now North Bear Shores with my whole heart and this adaptation is my love letter to all of them,” she said.
Henry responded to Kuang's caption, calling her "THEE one."
'Book Lovers'
Lastly, "Book Lovers" is being produced by Tango, the studio behind the Mescal-led tearjerker "Aftersun," with Sarah Heyward attached to adapt.
The book follows literary agent Nora, who goes on a trip with her younger sister to North Carolina and runs into Charlie, a brooding rival editor.
When announcing the film news on March 28, 2023, Henry opted for an "earnest caption" over a "brush-off."
"There has been a lot of 'rom com films are dead' talk over the last few years even though absolutely everyone I know is desperate for them," she wrote. "The industry, even more than publishing, wants a sure thing, and as we all know, that is the absolute worst constraint for making art. I’m so grateful Tango wants to make this."
In the caption, she explained why romance stories are so important to her. Despite having a "guaranteed 'happy ending,'" the stories represent "hope" amid the struggles of real life, she said.
"This movie is going to funny, cozy, moving and messy. I can’t wait. Thank you for being the best audience," she wrote, in closing.
There’s no official casting news yet, but fans have their opinions
On TikTok, Emily Henry's leading men are widely considered the gold standard when it comes to "book boyfriends." As a result, fans are very invested in who will be responsible for bringing the beloved characters to life.
Henry leans into the conversation.
"My fave thing about posting these is always that you guys tag every hot person you can think of and I think that’s beautiful," Henry commented on her own post announcing the "Book Lovers" film.
She even has an entire Instagram story highlight dedicated to compiling the casting dreams of "Beach Read" fans. Some frequent recommendations include Florence Pugh, Ana de Armas, Annie Murphy or Zoey Deutch as January, and Chris Evans, Dev Patel, Henry Golding or Penn Badgley as Gus.
One of the most prevalent theories involves the casting of Alex in "People We Meet On Vacation." Eagle-eyed TikTok fans noticed that actor Calahan Skogman, known for his role as Matthias in "Shadow and Bone," follows and often interacts with Henry on Instagram.
"He's just so Alex, and Emily Henry keeps liking his posts," one TikTok user said in a video in January. "Ma'am, just tell us he's Alex already."
On March 20, Skogman posted a picture with a wolf, a reference to his "Shadow and Bone" character. Henry commented on the pic, "Omg you are living my dream."
Skogman then sent the romance world into a tizzy by responding, "@emilyhenrywrites i can think of at least one more dream i’d like to help come to life."
HIs comment received more than 2,000 likes and more than 100 responses, primarily to the effect of "You have to be Alex or we riot."
For what it's worth, Skogman has referred to Henry as his "friend" and shared a photo of her latest release "Happy Place" on his Instagram story, writing, "My very talented friend @emilyhenrywrites just came out with another book! Check it out and send her some love x."
Is there any crossover between the movies?
Here’s where things get interesting. While the film adaptations are separate productions, the three romance books are canonically set in the same universe.
After “Beach Read,” each of the subsequent books include a subtle reference to the characters explored in another Henry book.
For example, Charlie, the love interest in “Book Lovers,” turns out to be the editor for January, the main character of “Beach Read.”
Then in “People We Meet on Vacation” and 2023's “Happy Place,” the characters often stop in quaint book stores and make passing comments on the latest works of Gus Everett, January’s husband.
In "Book Lovers," Nora and Charlie finally get their happy ending when he professes his love for her in a West Village bookstore — the same bookstore that the main characters in "Happy Place" live over for a time.
Lastly, in an extended “Beach Read” epilogue entitled “Layover,” the three couples of Henry's first three adult romance books find themselves stuck in the same airport at Christmastime. January and Gus spot Charlie and Nora kissing as they wait at their gate. They then head to a Chili’s Too restaurant and encounter Poppy serenading a bashful Alex with karaoke.
No word as to whether the movies, like the books, will be in conversation with each other.
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