Dream Cast
‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Prequel Dream Cast: Our Picks for Young Laurel, Susannah & More
The Summer I Turned Pretty may be coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean that the Jenny Han-created universe will cease to exist.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, The Summer I Turned Pretty actors were asked which character they would most like to see get the XO, Kitty treatment and get their very own spinoff. While the actors threw around Taylor (Rain Spencer) and Steven (Sean Kaufman), the resounding consensus was that the cast would like to see a Summer I Turned Pretty prequel about Susannah (Rachel Blanchard) and Laurel (Jackie Chung) during their early friendship.
As Christopher Briney, who Kaufman assured viewers was the creator of the spinoff idea, stated, he would like to see a prequel series where “Susannah and Laurel go through college.” He added, “They’ve always been some of my favorite characters, so I would love to see their world expand a little bit.”
As major Jenny Han fans, here at Swooon, we could not stop thinking about the cast’s prequel idea, so we’ve put together a dream cast fit to carry on The Summer I Turned Pretty‘s legacy. Scroll to see our picks for young Laurel, Susannah, and more! Do you agree with our dream cast? Let us know in the comments below!
The Summer I Turned Pretty, Season 3, Wednesdays, Prime Video
Amalia Yoo as Laurel
Most Amalia Yoo fans know the young actress as Raelynn Nix, a southern teenager who rocks out to Lorde‘s “Green Light” with Stranger Things star Sadie Sink in the 2025 Broadway production John Proctor Is the Villain. However, the actress first caught our attention in No Hard Feelings. If anyone could fill Jackie Chung’s shoes as the younger version of Belly’s reserved yet witty mother, Laurel Conklin, it’s Amalia Yoo.
Esther McGregor as Susannah
Does anyone else think this resemblance is wildly uncanny? To portray Laurel’s wild-child bestie Susannah, or Beck, as she calls her, we’ve chosen We Were Liars‘ breakout star Esther McGregor. Aside from their physical similarity, McGregor proved that she could play into Susannah’s warm-hearted nature, giving us a backstory that would make the events of the original show all the more devastating. After seeing her performance in We Were Liars, there’s no doubt that McGregor was born to make us cry.
Griffin Gluck as John
If there’s one thing this season of The Summer I Turned Pretty has taught us, it’s that there is so much we don’t know about Laurel and John Conklin’s relationship. While we don’t know when the couple met, we would hope to see both Laurel and Susannah’s eventual partners in the prequel. (Though, let’s be real, they’re definitely each other’s soulmates.) Colin Ferguson, who plays John, has a very specific look, but after some digging, we decided on Locke & Key‘s Griffin Gluck to take on the younger version of the paternal role.
Meg Donnelly as Julia
During Season 2, The Summer I Turned Pretty introduced Susannah’s cold half-sister Julia, originally played by Kyra Sedgwick. While we know that Susannah and Julia had a falling out due to their infamous “Shitmas” celebration, we would love to see a window into their summers together throughout the highs and lows of their relationship. To play opposite McGregor, we think Zombies star Meg Donnelly, whose comedy chops would fit perfectly into the TSITP universe. Is it too early to say that young Julia should definitely have a perm?
Khobe Clarke as Adam
While Jeremiah hasn’t been a perfect angel this season, his dad has definitely proven that there are bigger fish to fry than his son this season. However, that doesn’t mean we’re not interested in how someone as pure as Susannah fell for Mr. Finance. To play young Adam Fisher, we’ve chosen Khobe Clarke (Cruel Intentions), who was recently tapped to play Beau Maxwell in the upcoming Off Campus series TV adaptation.
