
EXCLUSIVE: A popular TV couple of the 2010s is making a return: Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley, who played two of the leads of the hit CW series The Vampire Diaries, are reuniting to star in another book adaptation, You Deserve To Know. The project, from Alex Cooper‘s Unwell and Aaron Kaplan‘s Kapital Entertainment, has landed at Hulu for development in a competitive situation.
Written by Grand Hotel developer Brian Tanen based on the 2025 novel by Aggie Blum Thompson, You Deserve To Know follows three suburban couples — next door neighbors and best friends. When one of their husbands is murdered, a shocking trail of secrets is revealed, and their friendship cracks wide open.
Dobrev and Wesley play Gwen and Scott, respectively — two neighbors on opposite sides of a murder investigation, leading them on a collision course.
In addition to starring, Dobrev and Wesley executive produce alongside Tanen, Thompson as well as Unwell’s Cooper, Matt Kaplan and Mina Lefevre and Kapital Entertainment’s Kaplan. Co-executive producing are Kapital’s Jaiden Kaplan & Dylan Hammalian and Unwell’s Paul Kim and Kendall Boucher. Kapital and 20th Television are the studios.
Kaplan is bringing Dobrev and Wesley together having previously worked with each of them individually. Dobrev starred in Kapital’s multi-camera comedy Fam for CBS while Wesley starred in the company’s psychological thriller Tell Me a Story for CBS All Access (now Paramount+).
Meanwhile, Kapital developed medical drama Vital Signs with Tanen at ABC, Dead Letters with Unwell at Netflix with Lucy Hale attached to star and sold two other Thompson books to Peacock and Netflix. Tanen also is co-writing with Tinx a series adaptation of her book The Shift for Kapital and Amazon.
You Deserve To Know marks a second high-profile sale at Hulu for Kapital in the past month following What Remains, starring and executive produced by Kerry Washington. Kaplan also produced the series Black Cake for the streamer.
This also marks Tanen’s return to Hulu where he was executive producer and co-showrunner on Love, Victor. Before that, he was executive producer/showrunner on ABC’s Grand Hotel, which he also adapted from a Spanish format, and Lifetime’s Devious Maids, and co-executive producer on Netflix’s Atypical. Tanen is repped by UTA and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller.
Dobrev and Wesley starred together on the first six seasons of The Vampire Diaries as Elena and Stefan who started off as a couple before she fell in love with Stefan’s brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder) in one of YA TV’s most iconic love triangles of the 2010s. Wesley stayed on for the show’s entire eight-season run with Dobrev returning for the series finale.
Recently, Dobrev recently starred in and produced the short film General Admission, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Next, she stars in the action thriller feature The Get Out alongside Russell Crowe, Aaron Paul, and Theresa Palmer, and stars in and executive produces It Happened One Summer, based on the romance novel of the same name. As Deadline reported, Dobrev is attached to headline and executive produce erotic thriller series Night Float in the works at Fifth Season. She is repped by CAA, Lighthouse Management + Media and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller.
Wesley recently wrapped a recurring role opposite Christina Hendricks in the upcoming third season of the Apple TV+ series The Buccaneers. He also recently wrapped the 5th and final season of Paramount+’s Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, where he plays the iconic James T. Kirk. Wesley, who also recently starred in the Shutter feature History Of Evil, is repped by Verve and Anonymous Content.
Thompson, whose books also include I Don’t Forgive You, Such a Lovely Family and All The Dirty Secrets, is repped by WME and Katie Shea Boutillier of Donald Maass Literary Agency.
View original source — Deadline ↗


