‘Deep Cuts’: All About the Movie Adaptation’s Stars, Casting Controversy & More
What To Know
- Holly Brickley’s 2025 novel, Deep Cuts, is getting adapted by A24.
- Cailee Spaeny and Drew Starkey are playing Percy and Joe.
- Odessa A’zion was cast as Zoe, but she has now stepped away from the movie.
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. However, just like the book, the book-to-screen adaptation has been dealing with some behind-the-scenes drama.
The adaptation was announced in early 2025 with two other major stars set for the leading roles, but Spaeny and Starkey are officially your Percy and Joe. Odessa A’zion was initially cast as Zoe Gutierrez, but she has since dropped out of the role. Swooon has all the latest updates on the Deep Cuts movie adaptation, including all the details about A’zion’s exit.
When is Deep Cuts coming out?
Deep Cuts doesn’t have a release date, but production will be getting underway in 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.
What is the Odessa A’zion Deep Cuts controversy?
On January 26, The Wrap announced that Odessa A’zion had been cast as Zoe in the adaptation. In Brickley’s novel, Zoe is of Mexican and Jewish heritage. The character is Joe’s high school girlfriend, who becomes one of Percy’s best friends. (A’zion is not Mexican, but she is Jewish.) Fans immediately criticized the casting choice.
The backlash increased after an X user posted an alleged Instagram exchange between them and Brickley. The fan asked if Zoe’s character will be “remaining Latina” or get “rewritten” for the film. Brickley allegedly responded, “Surely it will be rewritten! Which happens all the time. For the record in the book Zoe is half Jewish and half Mexican. But in the script it is not specified. Also I have nothing to do with casting.”
Two days after the casting announcement, A’zion took to Instagram to announce that she had left the project. “Guys!! I’m with ALL of you and I’m NOT doing this movie,” she began. “F**k that. I’m OUT. Lemme make myself clear… THANK YOU guys for bringing this to my attention. I AGREE WITH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU! This is why I love you guys. I’m so so sorry that this happened. It is SO important for me to let you in on how it all went down: I went in for Percy, but was offered Zoe instead and instantly said yes! I’m so pissed y’all, I hadn’t read the book and should have paid more attention to all aspects of Zoe before accepting… and now that I know what I know??? F**k that! IM OUT. I’d never take a role from someone else that’s meant to do it. That SHOULD do it! That’s not me. There are a plentitude of people more than capable of playing this role and I am NOT one of them. I can’t wait to see who it ends up being.”
She continued, “I was so excited I just said hell yeah cause I knew how much I loved the story so I was just down to be a part of it, and so excited to work with this group of people! But f**k thattttttt y’all never again. I’ve been so busy with other work I was trying to carve out a time to re read, I wish I found that time sooner and clocked her name. That’s all that’s mentioned in the script when I just finally. Thank you thank you THANK YOU GUYS FOR LETTING ME KNOW!!!”
The actress ended her message with, “Still haven’t read the book but the story in the script is focused on Percy and Joe, so of course on my initial read that was my main focus as well. I was happy to be involvved as a different role, but I just can not do it knowing more about Zoe now.”
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
