Everything We Know About the Film Adaptation of Emily Henry's 'Beach Read'

In summary: Emily Henry’s 2020 bestseller Beach Read—about a romance writer and a dark literary author who swap genres and fall in love—is being adapted to film. Directed by Yulin Kuang, it will be released in theaters May 7 and stars Phoebe Dynevor and Patrick Schwarzenegger as January and Gus. Schwarzenegger was a controversial pick, but both Henry and Kuang have defended his casting.

Emily Henry has taken the rom-com publishing world by storm in recent years, putting out six romance novels since 2020, all of which have made themselves comfortable on various best-seller lists. That incredible track record—not to mention the delightfully swoon-worthy plots and broad appeal of the books—has resulted in five of those six novels being snapped up for on-screen adaptations. (And, let’s be honest, it’s only a matter of time until some studio or other picks up the rights to 2025’s Great Big Beautiful Life, too.)

The book-to-screen deals were made slightly out of order, with Henry’s second adult novel, People We Meet on Vacation, being the first to hit our screens on Netflix in January 2026. But the film version of her first rom-com novel, Beach Read, could be close behind. 20th Century Studios claimed the distribution rights back in 2023, with a writer-director already in place.

While we eagerly await more details about the film-ification of January and Gus's love story, we’ve rounded up everything we do know about the Beach Read film so far. (Plus, in the meantime, there are plenty more book-to-screen adaptations on the way for quite a few #BookTok-approved romance novels, from TV versions of Elle Kennedy’s Off Campus hockey romances and Rebecca Yarros’s Fourth Wing romantasy series to the long-awaited The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo movie, based on Taylor Jenkins Reid’s beloved best-seller.)

What is 'Beach Read' by Emily Henry about?

The 2020 novel—the first of Henry’s adult rom-com books, after she got her start in YA—tells the story of January Andrews and Augustus “Gus” Everett, two very different writers. January releases lighthearted romance novels with mass appeal, while Gus has earned critical acclaim for his darker literary fiction.

When they find themselves living in neighboring lake houses for a summer, both struggling with writer’s block due to respective personal issues, they strike a bet where each must write a book in the other’s genre. In typical “opposites attract” fashion, their very writerly flirting and regular hangouts soon blossom into something more than just a friendly professional relationship. (We’ll just leave a “moderate” spice rating here.)

Of course, as things ramp up, the aforementioned emotional baggage in each of their (recent) pasts seeps back in, leading to some unfortunate miscommunications and misunderstandings. Both January and Gus must decide whether they’ll take the leap into the unknown of a new relationship or stick with what’s comfortable and familiar.

When is the 'Beach Read' movie adaptation coming out?

We already have our spring 2027 plans: Beach Read will release in theaters(!) on May 7, 2027. The film's writer/director Yulin Kuang announced the theatrical release date nearly a year in advance when she shared a sweet photo from set of stars Patrick Schwarzenegger and Phoebe Dynevor (more on that below!) during a camera test.

"a crumb of bts from the BEACH READ camera test for you, dear reader 🐥 can’t wait to show what we’ve been cooking up ⏲️👩‍🍳," she wrote in the caption. "filming has officially commenced ✅ see you only in theaters on May 7, 2027 🕶️🍿🍷👜"

In the shot, our January looks chic in a yellow cardigan, while Gus appears to have some handsome scruff (that might just put those casting naysayers to shame). This may be all we have to hold us over for some time, but we'll take it—and it's certainly more than enough to get us eager for spring of next year!

Where will the 'Beach Read' adaptation be released?

Thankfully, we'll be able to swoon at this EmHen story on the big screen. When the release date was confirmed, filmmaker Kuang also announced that Beach Read would be headed to theaters.

For a while, it was speculated that, because the Disney-owned distributor 20th Century Studios is behind the project, it would end up streaming on Hulu. Not only that, but following the release of People We Meet on Vacation, the adaptations of Funny Story and Happy Place are secured at Netflix and presumably also headed straight to streaming. But it seems as though the producers have heard our pleas for rom-coms to return to the cinema!

Who is in the 'Beach Read' film adaptation cast?

Are you ready to swoon? The leads of Beach Read have officially been cast! In February 2026, Deadline reported that Phoebe Dynevor will star as January Andrews. Given the Bridgerton alum's romance background, we bet she'll leave all of our hearts a-flutter.

Two months later, Deadline reported who our Gus is. According to the outlet, Patrick Schwarzenegger will star opposite Dynevor. The former White Lotus star (who will also soon lead a romance with Margaret Qualley, the forthcoming Love of Your Life) was said to be "a dark horse candidate and an unexpected choice." Nevertheless, his audition tape and chemistry read with Dynevor won everybody over; in fact, Deadline reports it "blew away filmmakers and the studio."

Schwarzenegger's casting may come as a surprise to some fans, who had been vocal about their dream choices for months. (At the time, many pointed to names like Drew Starkey, Logan Lerman, and Jonah Hauer-King.)

The news even sparked criticism online, which EmHen herself weighed in on during a May 2026 appearance on TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle. Regarding fan reactions, she said she has to "sit back and let it unfold." However, she suggested that readers hang tight and trust the process: "It is our baby—the readers’s and my baby—but it’s also the filmmakers’ baby and the studio’s baby, and I’m along for the ride with the readers, and we just have to trust the vision."

Kuang has also tried to put fans at ease by singing her praises of the star. When he was cast, she shared a lengthy, heartfelt caption on Instagram about what she thinks he'll bring to the role. “‘Patrick is a slow burn,’ is what I wrote in my notes after meeting him for the first time,” she wrote. “There was something about the way he talked about his feelings on love and romance that I couldn’t forget. But I was unconvinced we’d found our Gus, because I knew we had to be exhaustive in our efforts, given how important this character is to readers."

She explained that she saw many men for the role over six months, but chemistry was the most important thing. "I have always maintained that we are not casting a character, but a relationship. 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."

"The moment Patrick sat across from her, there was something electric in the room with us," she continued. "‘There’s magic to chase here,’ I wrote in my notes afterwards. I checked in with Phoebe after the reads and she said, ‘It’s obviously Patrick, isn’t it?’ and I thought to myself, ‘So she feels it too.’”

Now that the leads are locked in and the film is gearing up for production, the supporting cast has started to get announced. Deadline reported in late May 2026 that the project recruited Hollywood legends Kevin Bacon and Andie MacDowell—both no strangers to iconic comedies and rom-coms (She's Having a Baby, Picture Perfect, and recently The Best You Can for Bacon; Four Weddings and a Funeral and Groundhog Day for MacDowell). Their roles haven't been disclosed, so it's unclear if they're playing new characters for the adaptation or ones original to the book.

Who else is involved in the 'Beach Read' movie?

Yulin Kuang has been attached to the Beach Read movie as writer and director from the start. It’s in capable hands: Not only is Kuang a romance writer in her own right, having published her debut novel How to End a Love Story in 2024, but she also served as a co-screenwriter on another EmHen production, People We Meet on Vacation. Her other Hollywood credits include the Hulu comedy Dollface and The CW's I Ship It.

In a July 2024 interview with Brit + Co, Kuang said she was “pretty focused on Beach Read at the moment,” but held back from revealing too much about her adaptation of the novel. “I truly believe that art belongs to the audience once it’s out in the world. And so saying too much, it feels prescriptive, you know?” she said. “So I hope they enjoy it. I hope that they know that a lot of care is going into the adaptations. I remember what it’s like to be watching with anxious hearts about the announcements of all my favorite adaptations. And so that’s the main thing. I hope they know that I really, really care.”

Meanwhile, ORIGINAL Film is attached as the production company. It's existed since 1990 and is responsible for iconic franchises like I Know What You Did Last Summer and Cruel Intentions, while its rom-com bona fides include '00s favorites like Sweet Home Alabama and Made of Honor.

What has Emily Henry said about bringing 'Beach Read' to the screen?

In the March 2024 Variety interview, Henry called Kuang’s first draft of the Beach Read script “fantastic” and said her take on the story “feels really different and special.”

The author explained, “It’s so different than I would have thought to approach it. It feels like a big swing, which I am all about, because I think the worst thing that a movie can be is boring and mediocre. If we’re doing this, let’s really go for it,” the author said about Kuang's work on the film so far.

She also spoke more broadly about the role she plays in the various screen adaptations of her novels, saying, “I trust the directors that we have, and I think that they really get it. They also know that I’m always watching my readers, and I want them to be happy. So in my involvement in every single adaptation, my main goal is to represent the readers’s interests.”