Phoebe Dynevor is set to play January Andrews in the new film version of Emily Henry's Beach Read, but the role that has fans talking most is still empty. On February 19, 2026, Henry announced Dynevor's casting and said only, “More soon 😏” — leaving the actor who will play Gus Everett still unconfirmed.
Dynevor said she does not know who will star opposite her, calling it “crazy” not to have that answer yet. Fans have spent the days since naming possible Januaries and Gus Everetts, including Ayo Edebiri, Zoey Deutch and Dakota Johnson for the lead role, and Donal Finn and Lewis Pullman for Gus. The chatter has turned the adaptation into one of the most-discussed upcoming rom-com castings.
That attention makes sense because Beach Read is one of Henry's best-known books and one of several getting a screen adaptation. The story follows romance novelist January Andrews, who spends the summer in her late father's Michigan beach house as she prepares to sell it, only to run into grief, writer's block and the secrets buried in the place. Next door is Gus Everett, her college rival and a serious writer of a very different stripe. The two make a deal and switch genres, setting up the romantic tension at the center of the book.
For Dynevor, the project also marks a return to the genre that made her a breakout name. She said she has not done romance since Bridgerton, adding that there are “so many reasons” she is excited about the film and that Henry is “huge in the book world.”
The missing piece is not just a casting curiosity. Beach Read is being written and directed by Yulin Kuang, with Neal H. Moritz producing alongside executive producer Karina Rahardja, and the film still has no release date. Until the Gus Everett announcement lands, the fan campaign will keep doing the work for the studio.
