‘Better Than the Movies’ Casts ‘Summer I Turned Pretty Star’: Meet Wes & Liz
What To Know
- Lynn Painter’s YA novel Better Than the Movies is being adapted into a Netflix movie.
- The novel follows Liz Buxbaum and Wes Bennett, who are fake-dating to catch the attention of her crush.
- On July 31, the actors playing Liz and Wes were revealed.
The leads for Better Than the Movies have finally been revealed! Now it’s time we get to know the young actors bringing Liz and Wes to life. Some YA fans may recognize the actor playing Wes, who played a fan-favorite character in The Summer I Turned Pretty .
On May 5, Deadline revealed that Lynn Painter’s beloved YA novel, Better Than the Movies, is headed to Netflix as a feature film, from the creators of the upcoming Sadie Sandler teen drama, Don’t Say Good Luck. The official release calls Better Than the Movies “a love letter to romantic comedies.” On July 31, the official casting for Wes and Liz dropped.
In the novel, rom-com-obsessed high school senior Liz Buxbaum enlists her annoying neighbor, Wes Bennett, to pretend to date her in order to get the attention of her childhood crush, who has just moved back to town. Painter followed up her 2021 novel with the college sequel, Nothing Like the Movies, in 2024.
Scroll to find out everything you need to know about Better Than the Movies before it premieres on Netflix!
Who has been cast in Better Than the Movies?
On July 31, Deadline revealed that Beatrice Kitsos, who plays Alison Simms in Percy Jackson and the Olympians, has been cast as Liz. David Iacono, aka TSITP’s Cam Cameron, has been cast as Wes. We totally see the vision! While Iacono has been a popular fancast for Wes, Kitsos revealed on Instagram that she would love to play Liz, writing, “Pls let me audition.” Looks like she got the call!
David Bukach / Disney+ / Amazon / Everett Collection
Who else is involved in the Better Than the Movies adaptation?
Better Than the Movies is going to be directed by Julia Hart (I’m Your Woman, Stargirl) and co-written by Hart and her husband/creative partner Jordan Horowitz, alongside Heather Flanders, all of whom have already started drafting the script. Horowitz and Shauna Phelan are set to produce for Original Headquarters.
What has Lynn Painter said about the adaptation?
As soon as the adaptation was announced, author Lynn Painter wrote to her followers on social media, “GAHHHHHHHHHH!!! Five years (and one day) after BTTM was first published, I get to post that Netflix is adapting the book…? I shall now perish.”
She continued, “I mean, just the fact that Wes and Liz are going to be on-screen in a MOVIE is cool enough, but I am OVER THE MOON that my little babies have landed in such capable hands. Because the film is being brought to you by the team who’s doing DON’T SAY GOOD LUCK (coming to Netflix in August), which is – oh, my God – such a beautiful movie I can’t EVEN.”
Painter’s message concluded with, “But the most important thing: Julia Hart and Jordan Horowitz GET Liz and Wes. They understand our little love lovers in such a special way that it makes my heart SO FREAKING happy. I can’t WAIT to share more, but Wes and Liz are coming!!!!”
When Kitsos and Iacono were announced as the movie’s leads, Painter wrote on Instagram, “The CHEMISTRY – you GUYYYYYS!!! They’ve totally NAILED the casting; the Wes/Liz chemistry is insane here. Like, Bea and David might actually be more WesLiz than the WesLiz in my brain – cannot wait for you to see! I’m so excited for you to seeeeeee – losing my everloving mind over here!!!”
When will Better Than the Movies premiere?
Better Than the Movies is currently in development, so there is no set premiere date yet. We’d assume that the movie will probably hit the streamer in 2027 at the earliest. Check back here for more updates!
Better Than the Movies, TBA, Netflix
