In a casting move that practically demands we come up with a workable pun somewhere in the ballpark of The Summer I Turned Into The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House (and if you can workshop a better one, by all means, let us know), Osgood Perkins has just tapped ascendant Prime Video star and certified young person Lola Tung for his latest film, Young People. Plot details about the movie—which is being set up at Longlegs studio Neon as part of a new deal between the studio and Perkins’ new production banner Phobos—are being kept tightly under wraps, but it feels unlikely that Perkins has decided to make a sudden veer into the territory of heartwarming romantic comedies, right?
Tung will be joined on the mysterious project by Nico Parker, who recently appeared in The Last Of Us, and as one of the stars of the live-action How To Train Your Dragon remake. (And, as the daughter of Thandie Newton and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again writer-director Ol Parker, has a pretty hefty dose of rom-com DNA kicking around in her own cells as well.) In Tung’s case, this will be her second major foray into features after breaking out massively as the star of Amazon’s Jenny Han adaptation; that other project, Forbidden Fruits, is due out some time next year, and also marks a turn from romantic drama into horror, focusing on a coven of young witches who fall into potentially deadly feuding with each other. Tung recently wrapped up the third and final season of The Summer I Turned Pretty, which will air its grand finale next month, and is presumably feeling the impulse to get a little horrific after all those years of longing looks.
In which case, it’s hard to argue Perkins isn’t a great choice: Although his most recent film, pitch-black horror comedy The Monkey, didn’t quite hit Longlegs numbers, Perkins is still building on a steady, decade-long reputation for rolling out low-budget horror that stands out from the crowd. Perkins is currently in post-production on Keeper, set for a November 14, 2025 premiere; the film stars Tatiana Maslany and Rossif Sutherland.
[via The Hollywood Reporter]
