It was announced in February 2025 that
Sean Durkin had been set to write and direct the film, with
Saoirse Ronan and
Austin Butler cast to star. Ronan will also serve as a producer. By December, Ronan and Butler had to exit due to scheduling conflicts, with
Cailee Spaeny and
Drew Starkey cast to replace them. Musician
Blake Mills was also brought on to create music for the film.
Principal photography is scheduled to begin in February 2026. In January 2026,
Odessa A'zion joined the cast. A'zion exited the film three days later after social media users noted that her character was half-Mexican in Brickley's novel; A'zion claimed that she was unaware of this when accepting the role. Actors including
Eva Longoria,
John Leguizamo,
Xochitl Gomez,
Jessica Alba,
Danny Ramirez,
Isabela Merced,
Diego Boneta,
Ismael Cruz Córdova and
Michael Peña signed an open letter in response to the controversy, condemning the continued practice of
whitewashing Latina characters in film. Writer
Gloria Calderón Kellett, also a signatory to the open letter, wrote a column on
Deadline Hollywood reflecting on the situation as part of a boarder issue around Latino representation in media.
Ariela Barer, who is of both Mexican and Jewish heritage, would be cast in the role the following month. In March,
Abubakr Ali,
Quintessa Swindell,
Jennifer Jason Leigh and
Gaby Hoffmann were added to the cast. Principal production was underway by March 2026, with some filming occurring at Amoeba Music in
San Francisco, California. ==References==