One of the stars of The Vampire Diaries is set to star in a new romance movie. The CW show, which was based on L. J. Smith’s young adult novel series of the same name, was co-created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec and followed a teenage girl who finds herself in a love triangle with brothers who are vampires.
The robust ensemble cast of The Vampire Diaries included Nina Dobrev as the lead Elena Gilbert, Paul Wesley as the vampire Stefan Salvatore, and Ian Somerhalder as his older brother Damon Salvatore, alongside Candice King and Steven R. McQueen. Since the series ended after eight seasons in 2017, the cast has gone on to a wide variety of projects.
This includes King going on to play Bess Sinclair in the Prime Video young adult adaptation We Were Liars and Wesley taking on the role of young James T. Kirk in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Now, one of them is going on to star in another project based on a popular novel.
It Happened One Summer Is In Pre-Production
A movie adaptation of the Tessa Bailey romance novel It Happened One Summer is now in the works. The novel, which was originally published in 2021, received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews, and its sequel, 2022’s Hook, Line, and Sinker, became a New York Times bestseller.
The story, which takes place in a small seaside town, follows the burgeoning love between handsome sea captain Brendan and rich LA socialite Piper Bellinger, who the author says is inspired by the character Alexis from Schitt’s Creek. Below, read the official description of the plot of It Happened One Summer:
Per ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, pre-production has commenced on the It Happened One Summer movie. The project, which features a screenplay adapted by Christina Mengert (The Hating Game) and Joseph Muszynski (Peace, Love & Misunderstanding), will be directed by Peter Hutchings (Which Brings Me to You).
Three stars have also joined the cast of the movie, including The Vampire Diaries‘ Nina Dobrev, Teen Wolf alum Tyler Hoechlin, and Virginia Gardner of the 2022 survival thriller Fall and the 2018 legacy sequel Halloween.
The movie is being produced by BCDF Pictures’ Brian Keady and Claude Dal Farra. Frolic Media’s Tessa Bailey, Lisa Berger, and Samantha Martin are executive producing. Below, read statements on the project from Tessa Bailey and Claude Dal Farra:
Tessa Bailey: Hello Dream cast. I couldn’t be more thrilled to have this talented team behind the project and look forward to the magic they’ll make.
Claude Dal Farra: This book has sold all over the world and became a BookTok staple with 235 million hashtag views, remaining a bestseller thanks to its sharp wit and emotional depth.
What This Means For It Happened One Summer
It has not yet been revealed which characters the incoming stars will be playing. However, it seems likely that Nina Dobrev will portray Piper and Tyler Hoechlin will star opposite her as Brendan. It is possible that Virginia Gardner will play Piper’s sister, who is also sent to the small town of Westport by their stepfather.
The plot revolves around the two sisters working together to run their late father’s bar after a scandal causes their stepfather to decide that they need to learn to be more mature.
Regardless of the characters that will be played by the stars of Fall, Teen Wolf, and The Vampire Diaries, they all bring a great deal of experience with them that should aid them in bringing the world of the novel to life.
