EXCLUSIVE: Inanna Sarkis (Maintenance Required) is set for a role alongside Phoebe Dynevor and Patrick Schwarzenegger in Beach Read, 20th Century Studios‘ adaptation of the New York Times bestselling novel from Emily Henry, which is shooting this month, sources tell Deadline.
Reps for 20th declined comment. We’re told that Sarkis will play Shadi, the best friend of Dynevor’s January. She joins an ensemble that also includes the previously announced Andie MacDowell, Kevin Bacon, Kristin Davis, and Tig Notaro.
In Beach Read, idealistic romance novelist January Andrews (Dynevor) and cynical literary fiction writer Augustus “Gus” Everett (Schwarzenegger) — rival authors with dramatically opposing worldviews — have at least one thing in common: a serious case of writer’s block. When they unexpectedly find themselves living next door to each other in a small Lake Michigan beach town for the summer, they strike an unlikely bet to swap genres — and the lines between fiction and romance begin to blur.
Beach Read releases exclusively in theaters on May 7, 2027. Yulin Kuang, the co-writer of Netflix’s People We Meet on Vacation — another Henry adaptation — is directing from her own script, with Neal H. Moritz producing via his Original Films. Karina Rahardja is exec producing, with Sarah Shepard and Catherine Hughes overseeing the project for 20th. The literary affairs team, led by Clare Reeth, spearheaded efforts to land rights to the book.
First gaining traction as a creator in the digital space, Sarkis has been seen in the hit YA romance film series After, and more recently, Amazon’s romantic comedy Maintenance Required, opposite Madelaine Petsch and Madison Bailey. Upcoming, she’ll be seen starring opposite Gregg Sulkin in the hot air balloon thriller The Ascent, as well as thriller The Red Mask, which she leads opposite Helena Howard.
Sarkis also has a role alongside Nicolas Cage, Giancarlo Esposito, J.K. Simmons, and Andy Garcia in the upcoming film The Prince, written by David Mamet. Currently working on her directorial debut, Touch the Sky, she is repped by Luber Roklin Entertainment and CAA.
