‘This Summer Will Be Different’ Begins Filming: See the First Look
What To Know
- Carley Fortune’s novel This Summer Will Be Different is coming to Netflix.
- Netflix revealed a first-look photo of the three main cast members.
- Production began on August 4, 2026.
Carley Fortune‘s sophomore book-to-screen adaptation, This Summer Will Be Different, has officially started filming on Prince Edward Island (PEI) and in Toronto. Netflix also released a first-look image of Sophie Nélisse, Roby Attal, and Francesca Reale, which you can see above, to celebrate the occasion!
Taking place on Prince Edward Island, Fortune’s The Summer Will Be Different follows an on-again, off-again summer fling between Lucy (Nélisse) and the one boy she was never supposed to fall for, her best friend’s younger brother, Felix (Attal). Coming to the small screen on Netflix, this adaptation is bound to bring the summer vibes and, even better, the years of pent-up yearning. Just how we like it.
When Fortune recently sat down with Swooon, she told us all about the pre-production process. Fortune also told Netflix, “I fell in love with Prince Edward Island first in the pages of L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables and again when I visited with my best friend in my early 20s. That vacation, the beauty of the island, the warmth of its people, and the friendships that sustain us are the foundation of This Summer Will Be Different. I’m thrilled to bring this sweeping love story to the screen with Netflix and to transport audiences to the glittering shores and windswept beaches of PEI.”
Scroll to find out everything we know about the adaptation so far, including what Fortune told Swooon about casting the project.
When will This Summer Will Be Different premiere?
Right now, there is no set premiere date for This Summer Will Be Different. That said, Fortune revealed a little bit about the filming schedule to Swooon, explaining, “This Summer Will Be Different is going to be a 10-episode season with Netflix. We’re shooting it this summer. We’re shooting in Toronto and on Prince Edward Island, where it’s set, which is very, very exciting for me.” Now that filming has begun, we’d guess that the adaptation will hit the streamer next summer.
Who has been cast in This Summer Will Be Different?
Heated Rivalry and Yellowjackets star Sophie Nélisse is officially playing Lucy in the adaptation! At 26, the Canadian actress has certainly made a splash in the book-to-screen world.
Sabrina Lantos / HBO
On July 17, Deadline revealed that Roby Attal (The Sex Lives of College Girls) and Francesca Reale (Stranger Things) have joined the cast as Felix and Bridget.
On August 4, Netflix introduced recurring cast members Jordan Rodrigues as Miles Lam, Jude Wilson as Zach, Natalie Brown as Christine, James Tupper as Ken, Tom Barnett as Peter, and Celia Owen as Joy.
During our interview with Fortune, she revealed that the adaptation was in the process of casting, so we’ve been keeping our eyes peeled for updates! At the time, she couldn’t share many details about the three main leads, Lucy, Felix, and Lucy’s best friend Bridget, but she was able to reveal what she wanted to see in the casting process.
Ian Lipton / Chris Labadie
“Lucy really grows up over the course of her 20s, so you need somebody who can play that kind of searching, seeking side of Lucy,” Fortune explained. “She’s optimistic, but she doesn’t really believe in herself, and she finds her feet, so you need someone who can really show that transformation.” Now, we know that Nélisse definitely fit the bill!
When it comes to Felix, Fortune revealed, “Felix has this deep strength, but he’s not a macho dude. And he also needs to be able to shuck oysters, so it’s a tall order.” As she put it, “All the Felix fans have come out of the woodwork, and they have high expectations.”
Finally, Fortune was searching for Bridget, someone who needs to have undeniable bestie chemistry with Lucy. “And then I think that Bridget and Lucy, their dynamic as best friends, needs to be like—that chemistry needs to be as wonderful as the chemistry between Lucy and Felix,” she told Swooon.
Who else is involved in This Summer Will Be Different?
This Summer Will Be Different is one of Netflix’s upcoming Canadian originals created by Dane Clark (One More Time) and Linsey Stewart (North of North), with Clark, Stewart, Fortune, and Jennifer Kawaja (Sort Of, Wayward) and Elise Cousineau (Cardinal) for Sphere Media as executive producers.
This Summer Will Be Different, Season 1, TBA, Netflix
