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“Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” breakout and “Sex Lives of College Girls” star Gavin Leatherwood has joined the cast of romantic comedy “It Happened One Summer,” the adaptation of Tessa Bailey’s New York Tiles bestseller
and viral BookTok hit.
Production on the film is now underway in New York, with Leatherwood joining an ensemble that already includes Nina Dobrev (“The Out-Laws,” “The Bricklayer”), Tyler Hoechlin (“Superman & Lois”) and Virginia Gardner (“Fall,” “Halloween”). Peter Hutchings (“The Hating Game”) directs.
Written by “The Hating Game” scribe Christina Mengert and Joseph Muszynski, “It Happened One Summer” is being produced by BCDF Pictures (“To Leslie,” “Which Brings Me to You”), with Frolic Media executive producing alongside Dobrev, Hoechlin, Gardner and Bailey. Embankment handles worldwide sales and has extensively pre-sold the title.
The film follows Piper Bellinger, a glamorous L.A. It Girl whose glittering world comes crashing down after a viral mishap gets her canceled overnight. Cut off from her wealthy family’s safety net, she is exiled to a rugged fishing town with one ultimatum: fix up her late father’s dive bar – or lose everything. There, she butts heads with Brendan, a gruff sea captain who has zero patience for influencers. As per the description, Brendan is “the last person she expected – and exactly what she needs.” But he’s not the only sexy sea dog around, with Leatherwood set to play Fox Thornton, “a charismatic ladies’ man whose easy charm masks a deeper loyalty and vulnerability.”
“It wasn’t easy to find someone with the charm and swagger of Fox Thornton, but we did it! So thrilled to have Gavin on board,” said Bailey.
“Gavin was the missing piece — he walked in and the whole cast lifted,” added Hutchings. “Nina and Virginia are brilliant together as the Bellinger sisters, and with Tyler and Gavin alongside them, we’ve got something really special.”
“It Happened One Summer” has been translated into 25 languages, with two million copies sold in the U.S. alone. It is the first installment in the Bellinger Sisters series, described as one of the best-selling contemporary romance series of the past decade.
“Tessa wrote something that makes people laugh, swoon and stay up way too late reading — we want the film to do exactly the same thing,” said producer Claude Dal Farra. “Audiences are going to have a great time with this one.”
Leatherwood, who most recently starred in Netflix’s “It’s What’s Inside,” which premiered at Sundance and was acquired by the streamer for $17 million, is repped by Verve and Entertainment 360.
