In the hazy glow of a Cousins Beach sunset, where salt-kissed waves whisper secrets of first loves and forever afters, the fairy tale refuses to fade to black. It’s September 22, 2025, and the world of The Summer I Turned Pretty—that sun-drenched saga of tangled hearts and teenage tempests—isn’t waving goodbye. Oh no. Prime Video just dropped the mic-drop of the summer: A feature film is officially greenlit, plunging fans back into Belly Conklin’s whirlwind romance with the Fisher brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah. Lola Tung and Christopher Briney are suiting up once more as the star-crossed duo, under the masterful pen and lens of creator Jenny Han, who’s co-writing with Sarah Kucserka and stepping behind the camera to direct. This isn’t a sequel—it’s the epilogue we’ve been breathlessly begging for, a cinematic crescendo promising “another big milestone” in Belly’s life. But after three seasons of gut-wrenching will-they-won’t-they agony, will this be the wedding bells we’ve daydreamed about? A surprise twist that shatters the love triangle? Or a bittersweet bow on the beach? Grab your polarized shades and a tissue box—this extension of Jenny Han’s iconic trilogy is set to make waves bigger than a Cousins riptide.

Flashback to those golden, grief-tinged summers that hooked us all. Han’s 2009-2011 YA trilogy—The Summer I Turned Pretty, It’s Not Summer Without You, and We’ll Always Have Summer—captured the ache of growing up on the shores of fictional Cousins Beach, where 15-year-old Isabel “Belly” Conklin navigates the intoxicating pull between brooding Conrad Fisher (the responsible older brother with a poet’s soul) and sunny Jeremiah (the golden-boy charmer who’s always got her back). It’s The Fault in Our Stars meets To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (also Han’s brainchild), laced with Taylor Swift soundtracks and the kind of nostalgia that makes you crave a beach house escape. The books flew off shelves, selling millions and spawning a devoted army of readers who devoured the drama: Belly’s awkward glow-up, Susannah’s cancer shadow, and that eternal question—Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah?—that divided friendships faster than a summer squall.

Prime Video scooped it up in 2021, casting relative unknowns in a stroke of genius. Lola Tung, a 22-year-old Carnegie Mellon drama student fresh off virtual high school showcases, embodied Belly’s wide-eyed wonder and quiet fire with such raw authenticity that it felt like peeking into your own teenage diary. Christopher Briney, the lanky Dali Land alum with eyes that could drown a thousand ships, smoldered as Conrad, turning brooding intensity into a superpower. Gavin Casalegno rounded out the trio as Jeremiah, his boy-next-door grin masking depths of heartbreak that had fans ugly-crying into their popcorn. The ensemble—Rachel Blanchard as the ethereal Susannah, Jackie Chung as Belly’s no-nonsense mom Laurel, Sean Kaufman as the loyal Steven—wove a tapestry of family fractures and beach bonfires that felt achingly real.

Season 1 dropped in June 2022 like a perfectly timed high tide, crashing into our feeds with 495 million minutes viewed in its debut week. Swifties lost their minds over the needle drops—”Cruel Summer” for Belly’s first kiss? Chef’s kiss. The show’s glossy visuals—golden-hour montages, volleyball volleys, and midnight deck confessions—elevated Han’s prose into a visual poem, but it was the chemistry that crackled. Tung and Briney’s stolen glances? Electric. Casalegno’s puppy-dog devotion? Heart-melting. Critics raved: A 92% Rotten Tomatoes fresh rating hailed it as “the YA romance we’ve been waiting for,” while outlets like The New York Times praised its unflinching dive into grief and growth. Viewership surged—Season 2 in 2023 became Prime’s second-most-watched among women 18-34, trailing only The Rings of Power—fueled by TikTok edits, fan theories, and Han’s meticulous Swift sync-ups (she penned personal notes to secure tracks like “invisible string”).

But oh, the rollercoaster. Season 2 twisted the knife with Conrad and Belly’s ill-fated college romance crumbling under secrets and Susannah’s looming loss, while Jeremiah’s confession flipped the script into full-blown triangle turmoil. Han, doubling as showrunner, expanded the books boldly—adding Paris jaunts, deeper dives into Conrad’s anxiety, and Belly’s bob haircut reveal that had everyone buzzing. (Spoiler from the set: That chic chop? A symbol of her shedding old skins, Tung revealed in a Today chat.) Season 3, the swan song, premiered its final episodes on September 10, 2025, after SAG-AFTRA delays, wrapping with a finale on September 17 that left jaws on the floor. Belly, post-heartbreak, jets to Paris for a semester abroad—think berets, baguettes, and brooding over crepes—only for Conrad to show up on her birthday eve with a letter that screams second chances. Cue the steamy reunion: Fogged windows, whispered vows, and a fade-to-black that had #BellyAndConrad trending worldwide. But no ring? No “I do’s”? Han’s end-credits handwritten note—”Maybe we’ll meet again one summer in Cousins”—was the ultimate troll, priming us for more.

Enter the movie bombshell, announced mere hours after the finale streamed, like a plot twist Han scripted in the stars. At a glitzy Paris photocall for Season 3—complete with Eiffel Tower backdrops and champagne toasts—Prime execs unveiled the project as the “true final chapter.” Han, beaming in a sundress that evoked Belly’s beachy boho, gushed to People: “There is another big milestone left in Belly’s journey, and I thought only a movie could give it its proper due. I’m so grateful to Prime Video for continuing to support my vision.” Co-writer Sarah Kucserka, Han’s Season 3 partner-in-crime, will flesh out arcs left dangling—like Taylor’s redemption, Cam’s lingering spark, or the Fisher brothers’ fragile truce. Briney and Tung are locked in, their off-screen bond (forged in firewater shots and late-night script reads) promising that same palpable pull. Casalegno? He’s “in talks,” per Us Weekly whispers, but Han coyly confirmed he shot “fake” Paris scenes with Tung to throw Team Jere fans off the scent— a meta mind-game that had X erupting in glee.

The buzz? Volcanic. X lit up like a boardwalk Ferris wheel: #TSITPMovie racked up 5 million impressions in 24 hours, with fans posting beachy edits and “Conrad deserved better” manifestos. One viral thread from @tsitpstan4life dissected the finale’s “Out of the Woods” cue as a Swiftian hint at marital bliss: “Taylor’s lyrics scream wedding—Belly in white, Cousins sunset vows!” Petitions for a double wedding (Belly/Conrad, Taylor/Cam) hit 200K signatures overnight. Celeb cameos? Speculation runs wild—Lana Condor from To All the Boys as a surprise aunt? Or a Swift voiceover for the end-credits ballad? Han teased to The Hollywood Reporter: “It’s a gift to the fans—resolving those threads with heart, humor, and a touch of the unexpected.” Tung, fresh-faced and effervescent on Today, admitted the cast knew for “a little bit,” but the secrecy amplified the thrill: “We’d whisper on set about wedding dresses or surprise babies—pure chaos!”

Why the big screen? Han’s calling it a “proper due” for the scale—think sweeping Cousins vistas in IMAX glory, a thumping soundtrack (more Swift, natch), and emotional beats that demand theater tears. Prime Video, riding high on the series’ 1.5 billion global minutes viewed, sees it as franchise gold: A theatrical release could mirror To All the Boys‘ rom-com renaissance, blending streaming loyalty with box-office allure. Budget whispers hover at $50-60 million, eyeing a summer 2027 drop to recapture that seasonal magic. But risks lurk—will the leap dilute the intimate TV charm? Or elevate it to iconic status, like The Last of Us eyeing spin-offs?

For the cast, it’s poetic closure laced with launchpads. Tung, now 22 and a fashion darling (American Eagle campaigns, anyone?), calls the movie “Belly’s ultimate glow-up—facing fears with fire.” She’s eyeing indie dramas post-wrap, but confessed to Marie Claire: “Handing her off feels like saying goodbye to my awkward 16-year-old self.” Briney, 27 and broodingly handsome, unpacked the finale’s vulnerability to The Wrap: “Conrad finally takes Belly at her word—raw, real forgiveness. The film’s our chance to show what ‘forever’ looks like.” Casalegno, the eternal optimist, joked on X about “Jeremiah’s glow-up arc—maybe he bags a French artist?” Their real-life trio? Tighter than ever, spotted at Paris afterparties clinking glasses to “one more summer.”

Deeper still, this movie cements The Summer I Turned Pretty‘s cultural splash. In a YA landscape bloated with dystopias and reboots, Han’s tale stands out for its unapologetic joy—messy emotions, body-positive beach days, and grief that’s as tender as a conch shell. It sparked conversations on mental health (Conrad’s panic attacks), female agency (Belly’s choices over convenience), and the myth of “the one”—dividing forums into fervent camps. (Team Conrad: brooding soulmates; Team Jeremiah: easy sunshine.) Swift’s involvement? A masterstroke—Han secured 20+ tracks, turning the show into a de facto playlist party. Now, with the film, expect Easter eggs galore: Book nods like the volleyball trophy, or Susannah’s ghost in a heartfelt hallucination.

As production revs up—scouting Cousins stand-ins in North Carolina, costume fittings for that potential veil—fans are left in delicious limbo. Will it be the epilogue wedding, Conrad in a linen suit reciting poetry under stars? A surprise pregnancy shaking the sands? Or Belly choosing solitude, penning her own trilogy? Han’s lips are sealed, but her eyes sparkle with mischief: “It’s surprising, satisfying, and utterly Belly.” In a world craving feel-good escapes, this film’s promise feels like a bonfire on the beach—warm, wild, and impossible to extinguish. So, polish your surfboards and stock the cooler: The summer’s not over. It’s just getting cinematic. Will it be the ending we dreamed, or the one we needed? Only Jenny knows—and she’s making us wait, just like Conrad’s letters.