The upcoming Beach Read <\/i>film adaptation is already sparking mixed reviews of the cast \u2014 and author Emily Henry <\/b>has finally weighed in<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI also have to sit back and, like, let it unfold,\u201d Henry, 35, said on the Tuesday, May 19, episode of Today With Jenna and Sheinelle<\/i><\/span><\/a>. \u201cI mean, it is our baby, the readers\u2019 and my baby, but it\u2019s almost the filmmakers\u2019 baby and the studio\u2019s baby. I\u2019m along for the ride with the readers, and we just have to trust, you know, the vision.\u201d<\/p>\n A film version of Henry\u2019s 2020 novel, Beach Read<\/i>, is currently in development from director Yulin Kuang<\/b>. Actors Phoebe Dynebor <\/b>and Patrick Schwarzenegger <\/b>have been cast as lead couple January Andrews and Gus Everett, respectively. Schwarzenegger\u2019s portrayal, particularly, has already garnered mixed reviews<\/a> from fans who don\u2019t believe he will fit the bill as moody author Gus.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is so surreal, and I also just keep getting emails about everyone else that they\u2019re locking in, which is not public news yet,\u201d Henry teased of the rest of the cast. \u201cI can\u2019t share, but I\u2019m getting really excited. They\u2019re starting filming really soon.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Henry, director Kuang, 36, is \u201cbrilliant\u201d and undoubtedly will do \u201can amazing job\u201d in bringing Beach Read <\/i>to life.<\/p>\n Kuang has also defended enlisting Schwarzenegger, 32, to play Gus.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Patrick is a slow burn,\u2019 is what I wrote in my notes after meeting him for the first time. There was something about the way he talked about his feelings on love and romance that I couldn\u2019t forget,\u201d Kuang wrote via Instagram<\/span><\/a> last month. \u201cI was unconvinced we\u2019d found our Gus, because I knew we had to be exhaustive in our efforts, given how important this character is to readers. We saw a lot of men for this role.\u201d<\/p>\n She continued, \u201cWe reviewed a lot of tapes, sent a lot of avails checks and took a lot of meetings over a six-month period. I have always maintained that we are not casting a character, but a relationship. Once we knew Phoebe would be our January, my efforts became more focused and specific \u2014 not on who would play the best Gus according to the text, but who would play the best Gus opposite our specific January.\u201d<\/p>\n
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