Shabana Azeez, the Australian actress currently drawing acclaim as Dr. Victoria Javadi on HBO's Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning medical drama The Pitt, has signed on to star in the romance film Unrequited, according to Deadline.

The film marks the feature directorial debut of Lynn Q. Yu, who also wrote the original script. Yu previously wrote and directed the K-pop thriller Perfect Girl — an adaptation of her 2023 Black List script Unnie, filmed in Thailand in late 2025 and expected to release in 2027. The Black List is the annual industry survey of liked-but-unproduced screenplays; landing on it has become a reliable calling card for emerging writers.

Unrequited centres on two former college roommates, Trish and Anjali. When Trish learns that Anjali, played by Azeez, is leaving the United States to return to India, she takes her on a goodbye road trip through California's food scene — a culinary tour built around one last attempt to convince her to stay.

Producers on the project include Jake Casey and Danielle Benedict of The Dazey Phase, along with John Gray of It's Not Pork. Rich Freeman and Rick Berg are executive producing through Code Entertainment. Production is scheduled to begin in California in spring 2027.

For Azeez, the role adds a feature lead to a career that has been accelerating on two continents. Beyond The Pitt, she appeared opposite Sarah Snook in the Netflix thriller Run Rabbit Run and has the drama The Airport Chaplain coming for Australia's SBS network. She is repped by Stride Management, CP Artist Management, and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole.

What stands out here is the creative pipeline behind it. Yu arrives with a Black List credential, a completed thriller in post-production, and now a second feature already cast and dated — a fast trajectory for a writer-director moving toward her first wide release. For audiences, Unrequited offers a premise that sits at the intersection of friendship, food culture, and the specific ache of someone leaving before you are ready to let them go. Spring 2027 is a long way off, but the pieces are now in place.