Last summer, just when fans thought that the world of The Summer I Turned Pretty was over, Amazon announced that fans would be getting a movie. Directed by Jenny Han, the movie will conclude the original trilogy. Han said Belly has one more big milestone, and only a movie could properly capture the moment.
Fans were excited to say the least… The news broke last September, with production starting this year, but it’s been anything but smooth. Here’s a closer look at what’s happening behind the scenes in the production of this movie:
What’s Actually Going On?
Six weeks ago, Amazon went into production for The Summer I Turned Pretty Movie alongside a statement requesting privacy while filming:
We love the excitement, but sharing locations and visiting set disrupts filming and creates real safety concerns for our cast and crew. We’re working hard to create a protected bubble to make the best movie possible. Please help us protect the magic of Cousins until it’s ready to be shared. 💛
According to Variety, this stemmed from unofficial photos of Lola Tung (Belly Conklin) and Christopher Briney (Conrad Fisher) leaked online. This has led to fan speculation on plot points from the upcoming movie. The creator of the series, Jenny Han, also commented on the issue at hand on her Instagram story:
“When people come to set, film, and share videos, it disrupts the work. It makes it harder for actors to get into character and causes unnecessary anxiety for them. We often have to stop production to clear crowds from the shot, which breaks the crew’s focus. This story means a lot to me, and I know it means a lot to you, too. I want to give you the best version of this movie. Please help protect our process.”
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The video above depicts what production of the movie actually looks like in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Despite the main streets being shut down, fans managed to get close enough to disrupt production by yelling at the actors. Some of the scenes had to be reshot or pushed to another shoot day.
A recent article from Cosmopolitan sheds some more light on the issue at hand. An anonymous source shared the following comments
“It’s been an around-the-clock clusterf**k behind the scenes of shooting this movie.”
“The actors are getting more and more frustrated and stressed out.”
“Certain streets were not blocked off ahead of time like they typically are for larger-scale projects.
The source chalked it up to not having enough production assistants hired to manage crowds and escort the actors around. They went on to comment on how this improper planning essentially threw the actors to the wolves. Another comment mentions how many roadblocks could’ve been prevented with proper planning.
Aside from every article, if you type “The Summer I Turned Pretty set” into TikTok, you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about.
How We Experience Adaptations These Days
The reality is… we live in the world of social media. That’s where Gen Z gets their news. Once upon a time, we waited and waited for interviews, trailers, and exclusive set content. There was no real-time information, and it certainly wasn’t from social media.
Nowadays, the whole reason studios and streaming services want book adaptations is the existing fandom, especially with #BookTok. The Summer I Turned Pretty is a perfect example of a book so many of us read in our early teens and then go to see on the screen in our late teens. It was pretty full circle for me. And I love having some part in a fandom like that. I love the theories, the edits, and frame-by-frame analysis of trailers.
That is the kind of experience I want in an adaptation these days. Official set content also keeps my hamster wheel of excitement going. The Love Hypothesis did a brilliant job of this while filming in Montreal last year. They hopped on a few trends and left some breadcrumbs here and there, but nothing more. The beauty of a book adaptation is that we know how the story goes, but sometimes a few surprises are fun to watch.
But when full scenes, outfits, and moments are getting exposed and leaked online, it loses that surprise. Not to mention the pressure it puts on the actors, who are swarmed by photographers and fans as they try to do their jobs.
Where’s The Line?
Wherever the line is, it’s been crossed and then erased.
I understand we live in a technology-filled world with everything so damn accessible. The mere concept of online privacy doesn’t even exist anymore. Social media is the main driver of so many fandoms, trends, and what’s happening in the world right now.
The Summer I Turned Pretty amassed 70 million viewers for its third and final season last year. So it’s safe to say a large portion of those viewers were ecstatic to hear that there would be a movie following. So the reality is, a good group of those viewers would kill to see a sneak peek of what the movie might look like—myself included. I work in Toronto, and a few times a year I walk past a film set and immediately get intrigued. I can’t deny that I want to see how the sausage gets made—humans are naturally curious people
So the reality is: People are going to show up on sets and take photos. If production has not blocked off enough roads, then the fans will find the closest access point to the actors to get the best shot. I’m not saying I agree with leaking photos online, but it will happen. Some fans might not realize they’re leaking something and might assume that, since it’s public property, it’s okay. For a young teenager, it might be the greatest day of their life to see an actor from their favourite show. The original “privacy please” the show put out appeared to be appreciated in many of the comments, but that doesn’t guarantee it will actually happen. It’s unfortunate, but I’m not overly surprised considering the size of the show.
What’s not okay… Disrupting production by yelling at the actors during scenes. I fear that should lean more into common sense, but unfortunately it doesn’t. The show's TikTok account put out a statement last summer, and their caption remains true:
“The show isn’t real, but the people playing the characters are.”
The cast and crew are there to work. There is a time and a place for the fans at premieres and once the movie releases, but not on set. A top comment on one of the leaked videos said, “He looks kinda mad everyone being there 🥺” with over 4k likes. To put it into perspective, if thousands of people showed up at your workplace to watch you, how would you feel? Overwhelmed? On edge? Nervous? Mad? The actors are there to work, and the constant breaks in production due to fans would take them out of character. There should be no debate about this, and it’s unfortunate that it has persisted.
➡️ What do you think about this entire situation? Is it on fans or production (or both) to draw the line?
ICYMI
…here’s what else is happening in the book world!
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How Far Should Adaptations Stray From Their Book? Rivals Just Made Its Biggest Change From Jilly Cooper’s Book Yet
Why Readers Are Finally Seeing Themselves in Books
Fourth Wing Just Crossed the Line Most Book Adaptations Never Reach
Not Everything Needs to Be the Next Heated Rivalry, and here’s why shows like ‘Off Campus’ deserve their own spotlight!
Spotify Reveals Their Most Listened to Audiobooks of ALL TIME + which ones should have made the list!
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