The Summer I Turned Pretty movie began filming on April 26, and fans are psyched to see their favorite characters return to Cousins Beach. The announcement of the movie came as a big surprise — especially to fans of the original books by Jenny Han, as the novel series only contains three books (almost all of which was depicted in the Prime Video series). This led fans to naturally believe that the show would conclude after Season 3 However, the show left out a major part of the last book, We’ll Always Have Summer: an epilogue, in which Belly opens her letter from Savannah on her wedding day to Conrad.
On top of that, Han — who, of course, wrote the books and is leading the production of the movie — said in a press release, “There is another big milestone left in Belly’s journey, and I thought only a movie could give it its proper due.” So yeah, if you’re a fan of The Summer I Turned Pretty, then you probably can’t wait to see what the movie brings. Unfortunately, though, I have to be the one to tell you that you’re going to have to.
Since filming for the TSITP movie only recently started, fans shouldn’t expect to see the movie come out anytime in the near future. No official — or even tentative release date — has been announced, though main cast member Gavin Casalegno stated at the Actor Awards in February, “Hopefully it will be out next year.” In conclusion, fans will need to wait until at least 2027 to see Belly and the Fisher brothers return to the screen.
Some fans clearly disagree, however, as they’ve been showing up to set. Unsurprisingly, production isn’t having it. In a statement posted on Instagram from the official show’s account and Prime Video, fans were basically told to leave the cast and crew alone while they film. “We love the excitement,” the statement reads, “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.”
It’s not uncommon nowadays to find fan videos of shows and movies’ filming being posted on the internet. But that doesn’t mean it’s not annoying. Not only is it frustrating for the people on set, but it sucks for the fans who want to live spoiler-free lives, who are bombarded on their FYPs by videos of their favorite TV shows and movies filming before they come out. It’s understandable that in places like New York City, people are naturally going to happen upon productions filming, but going out of your way to seek film sets out is disrespectful to the cast, crew, and fans of projects you love.
If you’re anxiously waiting for the new TSITP movie, then don’t visit the set — try rereading the books or rewatching the show instead. And while you’re at it, maybe don’t search for it on social media, either, or you’ll unfortunately be met with a ton of videos and pictures that may ruin the magic of returning to Cousins in the future.