‘Deep Cuts’: Everything We Know About Drew Starkey & Cailee Spaeny’s Romantic Drama
What To Know
- Holly Brickley’s 2025 novel, Deep Cuts, is getting adapted by A24.
- Cailee Spaeny and Drew Starkey are now playing the leading roles, but two other stars were originally cast.
- The story follows two Berkeley students in the early 2000s whose passion for music forges a complex, years-long friendship and creative partnership.
When you combine A24, Cailee Spaeny, Drew Starkey, and Sean Durkin, you’ve got the makings of a hit movie. Holly Brickley’s hit 2025 novel Deep Cuts is being adapted for the big screen. Her book follows two souls with a passion for music who are inextricably linked after they meet at a campus bar in the early 2000s.
The adaptation was announced earlier this year with two other major stars set for the leading roles. Now that the cast is settled, Deep Cuts will officially be getting underway in 2026. From what we know about the release date to the film’s plot, Swooon has all the latest updates on the Deep Cuts movie adaptation.
When is Deep Cuts coming out?
Deep Cuts doesn’t have a release date, but production won’t be getting underway until February 2026. Given the filming timeline, Deep Cuts likely won’t be released until 2027.
Who is starring in Deep Cuts?
Cailee Spaeny will play the role of Percy Marks, and Drew Starkey will play Joe Morrow, per Deadline. Spaeny is an A24 darling. She starred in A24’s Civil War and earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in Priscilla. Her most recent role was in the newest Knives Out movie, Wake Up Dead Man.
Starkey made his A24 debut in Luca Guadagnino‘s Queer. He rose to fame playing Rafe Cameron in Netflix’s hit series Outer Banks, which will return for a fifth and final season in 2026.
“Minor update. I am beyond thrilled. Sean and everyone at A24 have vanquished all my nerves about this process with their sincerity, talent, and incredible respect for my story. Shooting starts in February!” Brickley wrote on Instagram.
There are a number of big names involved behind the scenes. The Iron Claw director Sean Durkin will helm Deep Cuts. Famed music producer Blake Mills will create original music. Marty Supreme director Josh Safdie will produce alongside Eli Bush and Ronald Bronstein. Additional producers include Brickley, Anthony Katagas, Jordan Tappis, and A24.
Why did Saoirse Ronan and Austin Butler leave Deep Cuts?
In February 2025, Saoirse Ronan and Austin Butler were cast in the movie’s leading roles. They eventually left the project due to scheduling conflicts. Ronan will be spending most of 2026 filming the four Beatles movies. She’s playing Linda McCartney.
Butler is also locked up schedule-wise in 2026 with American Speed and City on Fire.
What is Deep Cuts about?
Percy and Joe meet as Berkeley students in the early 2000s. Joe is an aspiring musician, and Percy has a deep-rooted love for music. They first cross paths at a bar, and this chance encounter kicks off a years-long friendship, which is often complicated by their working partnership and a will-they-or-won’t-they dynamic between them.
Deep Cuts, In Theaters, TBA
