Book To Screen
Ana Huang Drops New Casting Update For ‘Twisted Love’ TV Series: Everything We Know So Far
Ana Huang’s first update on the Twisted Love TV adaptation is here!
On January 9, Variety announced that Netflix has bought the rights to her BookTok sensation, Twisted Love, for an astounding seven figures. Now that we’ve hit May, fans are getting their first taste of development and casting news.
Staying faithful to the book series, the adaptation has been teased as “a steamy new adult series that follows the lives of four best friends and their brooding love interests, riddled with dark secrets from their pasts, as they overcome the obstacles keeping them apart to fall in love.” While no director or cast is currently attached to the project, we expect these announcements and more to come soon.
The Twisted series consists of four interconnected standalone novels, each following a different character pairing. The series begins with Twisted Love, a grumpy/sunshine romance following Ava Chen, a free-spirited college student, plagued by nightmares of a traumatic childhood she can’t remember. When her brother leaves for a year abroad, Ava’s world is turned upside down by Alex Volkov, the ruthless billionaire who’s been tasked with watching over her while his best friend is away. While Ava genuinely sees the good in everyone, her best friends (future Twisted FMCs: Bridget, Jules, and Stella) become fascinated with Alex’s stoic exterior and challenge Ava to undergo “Operation Emotion.” As Ava learns more about Alex, she can’t help but fall hard and the rest, as they say, is history… Spicy, spicy history.
Scroll down to read all the latest updates, including what Huang has said about the early casting process for the Twisted Love TV series.
What is the status of the Twisted Love TV show?
According to Ana Huang herself, development is still in “early days.” So far, we know that Netflix bought adaptation rights for Twisted Love. In an Instagram post, Huang indicated that the deal had been in the works for a while, stating, “It’s the new year, which means I can FINALLY announce some big news: Netflix is developing the Twisted series into a TV show!” She continued to say that she is incredibly grateful for her readers, whose enthusiasm for the books and her characters has paved the way for the series to come to the small screen.
Like us, Huang grew up watching adaptations like Harry Potter, Twilight, or The Hunger Games move from the page to the screen. In a recent update, she shared: “When I was a kid, I used to dream about when I saw those books getting adapted to big screens. I would think ‘I would love for that to happen one day,’ but it wasn’t something I ever thought was actually possible.” Now, Twisted is on its way to becoming the next big bookish adaptation. Quick, someone play “Night Changes.”
Who will star in the Twisted Love TV show?
While no one has been officially cast, BookTok is abuzz with casting rumors and dream casts, including a fan-favorite lineup of character lookalikes Ting Ting Lai (Ava), Jade Distinguinn (Bridget), Renata Valliulina (Jules), and Dina Denoire (Stella). Three of the actresses delighted fans by getting together to film multiple TikToks in character. However, no matter how passionate the fans are about casting, it looks like the official casting decisions will be outside of BookTok’s hands.
On the I’ve Never Said This Before with Tommy DiDario podcast, Huang responded to a question about BookTok’s dream cast, stating, “Yes, we do want people who look like the characters, obviously, they should fit like that. But it is a romance series, and I think what is the most important to me is that there is chemistry between the characters.” She later added that while many names of established actors have been tossed around, “there’s an argument to be made for finding fresh faces as well.”
Huang also commented on casting rumors, stating: “I want to reiterate that no one has been cast in the show yet. Any news to the contrary is false unless it’s directly announced by Netflix and/or myself on our official, verified accounts.” So, don’t get it twisted! The Twisted Love cast, featuring Thomas Doherty, Kaitlyn Dever, and Regé-Jean Page that you might have seen on TikTok was not official, it was just our dream cast! We have no idea who will be cast in the roles. However, you can check out our dream cast here to see our picks and leave your own in the comments. Plus, we’d love to hear your thoughts on our Kings of Sin dream cast, too.
Will the show cover the entire Ana Huang Universe?
Netflix has acquired Twisted Love and its sequels, meaning that Twisted Games, Twisted Hate, and Twisted Lies are all included in the deal. While we do not know if each book will get an individual season of the series, the announcement mentions that the series “[marks] the latest in a line of romance book-to-screen titles at Netflix,” specifically mentioning Bridgerton as one of those series.
As Twisted follows the same interconnected standalone structure as Bridgerton, we are hopeful that each couple will get their own season. As for the couples of If Love, Kings of Sin, and Gods of the Game, Huang’s other New Adult romances that share characters and locations with Twisted, we can’t make any promises. While we’d never say never, for right now, only the Twisted series has been confirmed as part of the Netflix deal.
Does Twisted Love have a release date?
Until production begins, the simple answer is: We don’t know. Twisted Love is still in early development. The earliest we would see the TV series on Netflix would likely be 2026.
Check back here for updates, and let us know which Twisted scene you are most excited to see come to life in the comments below!
Twisted Love, Series Premiere, TBA, Netflix
