Beach Read Shares First Look at Patrick Schwarzenegger, Phoebe Dynevor

Emily Henry Addresses Criticism of Patrick Schwarzenegger’s Beach Read Casting

This is not the day to bury your head in the sand.

After all, the very first glimpse of Phoebe Dynevor and Patrick Schwarzenegger as January Andrews and Augustus “Gus” Everett in Beach Read has arrived, nearly two months after the casting news made waves.

The sneak peek of the Emily Henry adaptation came in the form of a still from filming, which sees Schwarzenegger’s Gus staring lovingly at Dynevor’s January, who for her part is looking straight ahead, unaware of his adoration.

The snapshot was shared by screenwriter and director Yulin Kuang, who is sitting at the helm of this book-to-film adaptation, which hits theaters May 7, 2027.

“A crumb of bts from the BEACH READ camera test for you, dear reader,” Kuang, who previously penned the People We Meet on Vacation adaptation, captioned the June 8 post. “Can’t wait to show what we’ve been cooking up.”

Beach Read follows two rival authors who, both finding themselves suffering from writer’s block, each rent a house for the summer to try to get back on track—houses that happen to be right next door to each other.

As tension mounts between the two, Gus and January agree to a challenge: He will try to write a romance novel, January’s staple, while she will tackle a piece of literary fiction a-la Gus’ style.

The rivalry sets up the perfect foundation of an enemies-to-lovers romance, one that has bewitched readers since its release in 2020.

But while Henry fans have been clamoring for a film adaptation of the beloved book, the casting decisions made raised some eyebrows online, with the  first-look earning similar skepticism.

While one user wrote, “Hmmm, still a no,” echoing the sentiment within the section, others were more optimistic.

"ok hold on. there’s a vision,” another wrote, while one fan added, “I'm so excited!!!! Cannot wait to watch.”

As for Henry, the online discourse following the casting announcements—which has largely centered around Schwarzenegger’s casting as Gus—was loud enough for the author herself to weigh in.

“I also have to sit back and let it unfold,” Henry said of the adaptation during a May 19 appearance on Today. “It is our baby—the readers' 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.”

Lionel Hahn/Getty Images; Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Netflix

She added that Kuang “is so brilliant and I know she's gonna do an amazing job,” emphasizing that the rest of the casting news is still rolling out.

“I also just keep getting emails about everyone else that they're locking in, which is not public news yet,” the 35-year-old added. “So, I can't share, but I'm getting really excited.”

Meanwhile, Schwarzenegger previously promised to give the project his all.

“I’m so excited for this!!!” he wrote on Instagram Stories April 14 following the casting announcement. “First - let me say thank you to @emilyhenrywrites for the opportunity! I will do everything possible to make the fans happy & proud and bring your brilliant writing to life.”

But while Beach Read doesn’t come out until 2027, there are plenty of books coming out this summer to scratch that beachy itch. Read on for more.

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