Patrick Schwarzenegger is joining the Emily Henry cinematic universe.
The actor will star as Gus Everett in the film adaptation of Henry’s 2020 bestseller Beach Read, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. Schwarzenegger will star opposite Phoebe Dynevor, who will portray January Andrews.
Beach Read follows romance writer January Andrews who no longer believes in love, and Augustus Everett, a literary writer enduring severe writer’s block. When the polar opposites find themselves living in neighboring beach houses in Michigan, they eventually devise a plan to help each other get out of a creative rut. Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. January will take Gus to varied places that scream romance while he takes her to interview surviving members of a cult. They may be on their way to writing their next book, but they may just find love in the process.
Yulin Kuang, who also co-wrote the adaptation of Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation for Netflix, is directing the feature take from her own script for 20th Century Studios. The casting has been highly anticipated, with fans eager to see how the EmHen universe love stories will translate onscreen — even going so far as to share dream casting choices.
When talking about the Beach Read adaptation, Kuang teased to THR, “I really enjoy writing Gus in Beach Read.” When reflecting on transitioning from working on People We Meet on Vacation to Henry’s Beach Read Kuang told THR, “They’re very different books. They both have that thread of Emily’s writing that feels like a warm hug. But I think they’re warm hugs after different events. They’re very different books, so I didn’t want to just copy and paste.”
“‘Patrick is a slow burn,’ is what I wrote in my notes after meeting him for the first time,” Kuang shared on social media. “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.
“We saw a lot of men for this role. We reviewed a lot of tapes, sent a lot of avails checks and took a lot of meetings over a six month period. 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. That meant in-person director sessions and chemistry reads with Phoebe. The moment Patrick sat across from her, there was something electric in the room with us.”
She added, “‘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.’”
Of joining the EmHen universe, Schwarzenegger said to Henry, “I will do everything possible to make the fans happy & proud and bring your brilliant writing to life. PS- my wife is obsessed with you!”
To Dynevor he wrote, “I can’t wait to bring these characters to life with you. It was a pleasure working opposite you through these chemistry reads.”
“And to @yulin.kuang for your direction & conversations about these characters and their stories. I can’t wait to embark on this journey with you.”
Neal H. Moritz will produce via his Original Films. Karina Rahardja will exec produce. Sarah Shepard and Catherine Hughes are overseeing for 20th.
Beach Read marks the latest of Henry, dubbed as the queen of rom-coms, books getting the adaptation treatment. Three of her other novels (Book Lovers, Funny Story and Happy Place) are also in development to become films. People We Meet on Vacation, starring Tom Blyth and Emily Bader, began streaming on Netflix in January.
Deadline first reported the casting.
