Gavin Leatherwood Joins Cast of “It Happened One Summer” Rom-Com Adaptation

Gavin Leatherwood, known for “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” and “Sex Lives of College Girls,” has been added to the ensemble of the romantic-comedy film “It Happened One Summer.” The production, directed by Peter Hutchings, is currently filming in New York City. Leatherwood will portray Fox Thornton, described as a charismatic ladies’ man whose charm masks deeper loyalty and vulnerability. The announced cast also includes Nina Dobrev (Piper Bellinger), Tyler Hoechlin (Brendan Taggart), and Virginia Gardner (a Bellinger sister).

People MagazineDeadline HollywoodVariety Magazine

The film adapts Tessa Bailey’s 2021 novel “It Happened One Summer,” the first installment of the Bellinger Sisters series and a viral hit on BookTok. The story follows LA influencer Piper Bellinger, whose viral mishap leads to a sudden cancellation, cutting her off from her family’s wealth and sending her to a rugged Pacific-Northwest fishing town to revive her late father’s dive bar.

Variety Magazine

• U.S. sales: over two million copies of the novel.

Variety Magazine

• International reach: translated into 25 languages.

Variety Magazine

• The series is positioned as one of the best-selling contemporary romance series of the past decade.

Variety Magazine

Director Peter Hutchings called Leatherwood “the missing piece,” noting that his arrival “lifted” the entire cast.

People Magazine

• “It wasn’t easy to find someone with the charm and swagger of Fox Thornton, but we did it. So thrilled to have Gavin on board,” — Tessa Bailey, who takes an executive producer credit alongside Dobrev, Hoechlin, and Gardner

Deadline Hollywood

• “Gavin was the missing piece — he walked in and the whole cast lifted. Nina and Virginia are brilliant together as the Bellinger sisters, and with Tyler and Gavin alongside them, we’ve got something really special.” — Gardner. Hutchings

Deadline Hollywood

• “He walked in and the whole cast lifted,” — Gardner. Hutchings

People Magazine

• “Gavin was the missing piece — he walked in and the whole cast lifted,” — Gardner. Hutchings

Variety Magazine