Sophie Nélisse lands lead role in Netflix’s This Summer Will Be Different
The Yellowjackets actor will play Lucy in Netflix’s series adaptation of Carley Fortune’s bestselling romance novel.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Sophie Nélisse is headed for a sun-soaked Netflix romance, with Deadline reporting that the French Canadian actor has been cast as Lucy in This Summer Will Be Different.
The role is the first major casting revealed for Netflix’s adaptation of Carley Fortune’s 2024 novel. Production is set to take place later this summer in Prince Edward Island and Toronto, according to Deadline.
The series comes from creators and showrunners Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart. Netflix’s adaptation follows Lucy through her 20s across several summers on Prince Edward Island, as she falls for her best friend’s brother, the one person she was not meant to want, according to the show’s logline cited by Deadline.
Nélisse will play Lucy, one of the story’s three central figures. The other two are Bridget, Lucy’s best friend, and Felix, Bridget’s brother. Deadline reported that Netflix has not released a separate character description for Lucy.
Fortune’s novel lays out the messy setup early. Deadline described the book as opening with Lucy remembering her first meeting with Felix, who grabs her attention while shucking Malpeque oysters at a restaurant on Prince Edward Island.
Bridget was meant to be on that trip with Lucy, but she missed her flight, according to Deadline’s account of the novel. Lucy and Felix have a one-night stand before realizing their connection through Bridget: Lucy’s best friend is Felix’s sister.
In the book, Bridget has three rules for Lucy’s first visit to the island, Deadline reported. One of them is that Lucy should not fall for Bridget’s brother, whose nickname is Wolf.
A bestselling book heads to Netflix
This Summer Will Be Different became a New York Times bestseller after its release in 2024, according to Deadline. The outlet reported that the novel has sold more than four million copies and has been translated into 30 languages.
The Netflix series adds another screen project to Fortune’s growing TV footprint. Her debut novel, Every Summer After, has already been adapted by Prime Video as Every Year After. Deadline reported that the show’s second season will be based on Fortune’s sequel, One Golden Summer.
Netflix’s This Summer Will Be Different is part of the streamer’s Canadian slate, which Deadline said also includes North of North, Wayward, Who Killed the Montreal Expos?, BELOW and The Granville Girls.
The series is produced by Sphere Media. Executive producers include Clark, Stewart, Fortune, Jennifer Kawaja and Elise Cousineau, according to Deadline. Kawaja’s credits include Sort Of and Wayward, while Cousineau’s include Cardinal and Small Achievable Goals.
Nélisse keeps a busy screen streak
Nélisse is also set to return as Young Shauna in the fourth and final season of Showtime’s Yellowjackets, Deadline reported. She also appeared as Rose Landry in the first season of Heated Rivalry.
Deadline reported that Nélisse is represented by Brillstein Entertainment Partners and CAA.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.