EXCLUSIVE: Ella Balinska is the newest addition to Beach Read, 20th Century Studios‘ adaptation of the New York Times bestseller from Emily Henry, which is in production in Toronto.

Balinska’s role is being kept under wraps. She joins an ensemble led by Phoebe Dynevor and Patrick Schwarzenegger, which also includes Andie MacDowell, Kevin Bacon, Kristin Davis, Tig Notaro and Inanna Sarkis.

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.

Yulin Kuang, the co-writer of Netflix’s hit Henry adaptation People We Meet on Vacation, is directing from her own script, with Neal H. Moritz producing via his Original Film. The rom-com is slated for release in theaters on May 7, 2027.

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.

A British actress with credits including Netflix’s 2022 Resident Evil series and 2019’s Charlie’s Angels, Balinska has more recently been seen starring alongside Rob Delaney in the indie sci-fi thriller The Occupant. She is represented by UTA, Entertainment 360 and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole.