Jenny Han went to great lengths to keep The Summer I Turned Pretty fans from finding out which brother Belly would choose — including filming fake scenes with Gavin Casalegno in Paris.
“They just told me to get on a plane and show up,” Casalegno, 26, told The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, September 18, about visiting the City of Love for season 3. “They handed me sides that were blank and then I just went out there and ran.”
Casalegno, who plays Jeremiah, didn’t mind not seeing those moments in the final season.
“It was super fun. It was a free trip to Paris, I can’t complain,” he noted. “I had some great coffee. I got to meet a lot of the French crews as well and the French are so amazing.”
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The Summer I Turned Pretty fans previously speculated that Han, 45, might switch things up when Christopher Briney (Conrad) and Casalegno were seen filming with Lola Tung (Belly) in Paris. Season 3, however, only featured Conrad and Belly’s international reunion when she chose a future with the older Fisher brother.
“I felt that if Gavin never showed up in Paris, then it would be really obvious what the ending was,” Han told People on Thursday about her plan to “throw off the fans” about the show’s ending. “We were lucky that he could come and do that for us.”
Inspired by Han’s novels — The Summer I Turned Pretty, It’s Not Summer Without You and We’ll Always Have Summer — the hit Prime Video series concluded the love triangle between Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah during the Wednesday, September 17, series finale.
But, the story isn’t over yet. Han confirmed on Wednesday that one last milestone from Belly and Conrad’s lives would be explored — in a full feature film.
“There is another big milestone left in Belly’s journey, and I thought only a movie could give it its proper due,” Han said in a statement. “I’m so grateful to Prime Video for continuing to support my vision for this story and for making it possible to share this final chapter with the fans.”
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In addition to Briney, 27, and Tung, 22, Us Weekly confirmed that Casalegno is reprising his role in the movie, as well.
“The Summer I Turned Pretty has struck a chord with audiences everywhere, creating moments of joy, nostalgia and connection that have made it a global sensation,” Courtenay Valenti, who is head of film, streaming and theatrical at Amazon MGM Studios, and Vernon Sanders, who is global head of television at Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, shared on Wednesday. “We’re proud of the series’ extraordinary success and couldn’t be more excited to partner again with Jenny Han to bring fans an unforgettable next chapter.”
The Summer I Turned Pretty is streaming on Prime Video.
