Emily Henry’s bestselling beach read People We Meet on Vacation is receiving a film adaptation from Netflix, and it has already found the perfect lead duo.
Henry is known for her adult romance novels, which are often described as the perfect, cozy beach reads. People We Meet on Vacation is one of her most popular books. It tells the adorable story of two best friends, Poppy Wright and Alex Nilsen. Poppy is a free-spirited and spontaneous travel writer, while Alex is an introverted and bookish high school teacher. Despite their differences, they’ve been best friends forever and keep their friendship strong by going on a vacation together every summer. Unfortunately, one trip to Croatia changes everything. Two years later, the pair have gone down separate paths until Poppy decides to arrange one last vacation, hoping it will help them rekindle their bond and discover what went wrong.
People We Meet on Vacation received highly positive reviews for its hilarious and nostalgic globe-spanning story of Poppy and Alex. By 2022, Sony’s 3000 Pictures announced it was developing a film adaptation of the novel with Yulin Kuang writing and Brett Haley directing. Now, the film is finally starting to become a reality, with Netflix set to distribute.
What to expect from People We Meet on Vacation
People We Meet on Vacation doesn’t have an official release date yet. Since the cast is just starting to come together, the movie likely won’t arrive until mid-2025 at the earliest. Although the entire cast has not yet been announced, Netflix has confirmed who will portray Alex and Poppy. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes star Tom Blyth has signed on to play Alex, while My Lady Jane star Emily Bader stars opposite him as Poppy. It’s hard to imagine two better fits for the role of the lead duo, considering Blyth proved his ability to portray the serious and intelligent young Coriolanus Snow, while Bader wholly embodies the heroic, rebellious, and bold persona of Lady Jane Grey.
Meanwhile, Henry wholeheartedly supports the casting, too, revealing she watched their chemistry read “four times in 12 hours” and loved it more each time. Netflix also shared a heartwarming video of the moment Bader found out she nabbed the role of Poppy. Henry even came on the video chat to surprise Bader and Blyth, expressing her confidence that fans and newcomers would love the adaptation of People We Meet on Vacation.
Now that the leads have been announced, it shouldn’t be too long until the casting choices for other characters like Rachel Krohn, Sara Torval, and Swapna Bakshi-Highsmith are announced. Plotwise, People We Meet on Vacation is expected to follow the book fairly closely. So, in the present day, viewers will see Poppy and Alex heading to Palm Springs on their first trip after a two-year hiatus. However, there will likely also be a lot of flashbacks scattered throughout the movie to unravel the history of their bond and the infamous Croatia trip. Ultimately, with the strong source material and two strong leads, People We Meet on Vacation is shaping up to be quite the adorable light-hearted rom-com.
Published: Aug 7, 2024 05:10 pm