Lynn Painter says Better Than the Movies is filming as Fake Skating casts leads
Two Lynn Painter love stories are becoming films at the same time, and cameras are already rolling on one of them.
Sony’s adaptation of Better Than the Movies is in production, Painter said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published 29 September. It stars David Iacono and Beatrice Kitsos as the central pair.
Julia Hart is directing the film, Painter told the same outlet. The script was written by Jordan Horowitz, who also serves as a producer. The project was first detailed as a Netflix romantic comedy based on Painter’s bestseller, with Hart attached to direct, according to Deadline on 5 May.
The wider cast has been filling out. Judy Greer and Luke Kirby have joined the adaptation, alongside Deacon Phillippe and Nicole Bruner, according to Netflix Tudum on 3 September. Tudum is Netflix’s editorial site.
A second Painter book is also on its way to the screen. Sony’s adaptation of Fake Skating has cast Amélie Hoeferle and Graham Campbell, Painter told The Hollywood Reporter in that 29 September interview. Josh Boone is directing.
The script was penned by Morgan Lehmann and Victoria Bata and later revised by Boone and Knate Lee, Painter said. That is a familiar path for studio films, where an early draft is reworked by later writers before shooting.
Painter’s own road was long. She spent 15 years collecting rejection letters while trying to land a literary agent, she told The Hollywood Reporter. Then came the bestseller list. Now come two sets.
For readers new to her books, this means two separate stories, two casts and two directors moving forward in parallel. One is already filming. The other is lining up its leads.
