Phoebe Dynevor and Patrick Schwarzenegger have been cast in the upcoming adaptation
Credit: John Shearer/WireImage; Berkley; Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
NEED TO KNOW
- Beach Read by Emily Henry was published in May 2020
- Phoebe Dynevor and Patrick Schwarzenegger are starring in the film adaptation
- Yulin Kuang, who co-wrote the script for People We Meet on Vacation, will write and direct Beach Read
Beach Read is going from the bookshelf to the big screen.
Following People We Meet on Vacation, several books by best-selling author Emily Henry are headed to Hollywood. People We Meet on Vacation was released on Netflix in January 2026, and another one of her titles, Beach Read — which was originally published in May 2020 — is being made into a movie.
Beach Read follows two authors, January Andrews and Augustus "Gus" Everett, who wind up as neighbors while they are on their respective writing retreats on Lake Michigan. To break through their writer's block, January and Gus swap literary genres, and grow close as a result.
In April 2023, it was reported Beach Read was getting a film adaptation, and three years later, the leads have been cast.
Here's what we know so far about the Beach Read movie, including what author Emily Henry has said about the film's script.
Who is in the cast of the Beach Read movie?
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In April 2026, it was announced that Patrick Schwarzenegger will play Gus Everett in the Beach Read movie adaptation.
"I’m so excited for this!!! First – let me say thank you to @emilyhenrywrites for the opportunity!" the actor wrote in an Instagram post. "I will do everything possible to make the fans happy & proud and bring your brilliant writing to life."
The White Lotus alum will star opposite Phoebe Dynevor, who was cast as romance writer January Andrews in February 2026.
"There's so many reasons why I'm very excited about this project," she said in an April 2026 episode of the Collider Ladies Night podcast. "Emily Henry is obviously huge in the book world, but this book in particular, Beach Read, the characters are so well-developed. They have such rich backstories."
"It's always fun to go back into the romance world. It's been a while since I've been able to do that. Well, since Bridgerton, really," she continued. "So it felt like all the pieces were in place to make a really beautiful romance that hopefully everyone will see and the people that love the book will enjoy and also we'll get a new audience."
Who is directing Beach Read?
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Yulin Kuang, who co-wrote the script for People We Meet on Vacation, will write and direct Beach Read.
"I really enjoy writing Gus in Beach Read. I have this theory that an Emily Henry hero is a Yulin Kuang heroine," she told The Hollywood Reporter in May 2024.
Kuang continued, "I spent a lot more time like thinking about this woman’s words, and the thing that I am drawn to in her work, they tend to be like the heroes that are more aloof, withdrawn, cold. So I really enjoyed diving in there."
What has Emily Henry said about the Beach Read movie?
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In recent months, Henry has mostly been focused on the People We Meet on Vacation adaptation, but she has spoken about the Beach Read movie in the past.
In March 2024, the author teased that the first draft of the Beach Read script was "fantastic."
"It’s so different than I would have thought to approach it," she told Variety at the time. "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."
"It feels really different and special," Henry added.
When will Beach Read be released?
Credit: Berkley
A release date for Beach Read has not been confirmed.
The movie is from 20th Century Studios, so unlike People We Meet on Vacation, it will be released in theaters, according to Deadline.
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