‘A Cuban Girl’s Guide To Tea & Tomorrow’ Film Adaptation In Development

On August 16, Deadline reported exclusively that Laura Taylor Namey’s 2020 NYT Bestselling romance novel A Cuban Girl’s Guide To Tea And Tomorrow is getting adapted into a film through ACE Entertainment, with a cast already attached and production launched in Yorkshire, England.

Taylor Namey’s novel follows baker Lila Reyes who never planned to spend a summer in England. However, a series of events primarily including the loss of her grandmother, her parents worry about her mental health deciding it’s best to spend time away from the family’s Cuban panadería to stay at her aunt’s inn located in Winchester, England for a much needed reset. From Miami to London, she finds herself falling in love with the countryside, fusion cooking and a charming British tea-shop clerk named Orion. As she warms up to the charming English summer, she finds that food and her adventures, slowly heal her heart.

Maia Reficco will star as Lila Reyes, Kit Connor (Heartstopper) is set to play Orion Maxwell (according to Taylor Namey’s tweet) and Kate del Castillo has also been attached to star in the adaptation.

In her narrative debut, Katherine Fairfax Wright will direct the project, Khalia Amazan and Savion Einstein have been attached as screenwriters, alongside Matt Kaplan who will produce.

ACE Entertainment has adapted Young Adult novels such as the ‘To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before’ trilogy and more recently ‘Hello, Goodbye And Everything In Between.’

Taylor Namey stated with much excitement in her initial tweet “So honored and completely over the moon to announce this news that took my breath away so many months ago…” According to her profile, she is also confirmed to be an executive producer on the project.

No other news was revealed as to release date or whether a streaming service will acquire the film. A Cuban Girl’s Guide To Tea And Tomorrow was featured as Reese’s Book Club pick in November of 2020.

For Lila Reyes, a summer in England was never part of the plan. The plan was 1) take over her abuela’s role as head baker at their panadería, 2) move in with her best friend after graduation, and 3) live happily ever after with her boyfriend. But then the Trifecta happened, and everything—including Lila herself—fell apart.

Worried about Lila’s mental health, her parents make a new plan for her: spend three months with family friends in Winchester, England, to relax and reset. But with the lack of sun, a grumpy inn cook, and a small town lacking Miami flavor (both in food and otherwise), what would be a dream trip for some feels more like a nightmare to Lila…until she meets Orion Maxwell.

A teashop clerk with troubles of his own, Orion is determined to help Lila out of her funk, and appoints himself as her personal tour guide. From Winchester’s drama-filled music scene to the sweeping English countryside, it isn’t long before Lila is not only charmed by Orion, but England itself. Soon a new future is beginning to form in Lila’s mind—one that would mean leaving everything she ever planned behind.

A Cuban Girl’s Guide To Tea And Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey is out now!

Hello, Goodbye, And Everything In Between Being Adapted Into A Film!

Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between by Jennifer E. Smith is being adapted into a film and it was recently announced that two main leads have been casted! Deadline announced on September 9 and 21, Talia Ryder and Jordan Fisher are set to star in the film.

According to the most-recent article, ACE Entertainment is the studio behind the project. Michael Lewen will be directing and Matt Kaplan will be producing. Screenwriters include Amy Reed and Ben York Jones, where Reed is the writer of the most current draft. It was also mentioned that Fisher will be an executive producer.

“I was fortunate enough to enter a really special space with the To All The Boys family. We got to make magic and I’m THRILLED to do that again with the same family, but with a new story. I adore Matt and the entire ACE team, and I can’t wait to get back to set with this particular film and have the opportunity to work behind the camera as an executive producer,” mentioned Fisher (originally quoted in Deadline).

Kaplan also mentioned that Fisher “is a once-in-a-generation kind of talent. His on-screen dynamics are outmatched by his offscreen smarts, wit and creativity. He is exactly the kind of talent we at ACE want to be making projects with and I can’t wait for audiences to see him as Aidan in this beautiful love story.”

Ryder had her breakout role in the 2020 film Never Rarely Sometimes Always, which received critical acclaim. Kaplan produced To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, which Fisher starred in as John Ambrose.

On the night before they leave for college, Clare and Aidan have only one thing left to do: figure out whether they should stay together or break up. Over the course of twelve hours, they retrace the steps of their relationship, trying to find something in their past that might help them decide what their future should be. The night leads them to family and friends, familiar landmarks and unexpected places, hard truths and surprising revelations. But as the clock winds down and morning approaches, so does their inevitable goodbye. The question is, will it be goodbye for now or goodbye forever?

Charming, bittersweet, and full of wisdom and heart, this irresistible novel from Jennifer E. Smith, author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, explores the difficult choices that arise when life and love lead in different directions. 

Loveboat, Taipei Optioned For Film

Revealed through a Deadline Exclusive on February 24, it was announced that Abigail Hing Wen’s Contemporary debut Loveboat, Taipei, was optioned for film!

ACE Entertainment, the production team behind To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, acquired the rights.

According to the article, here’s what Wen said in regards to the news “ACE Entertainment is the perfect partner to bring this story to life. Their enthusiasm for telling authentic stories on screen was palpable when we first met and I’m a huge fan of what they did with Jenny Han’s work. I’m incredibly honored that this book has touched so many lives and is bringing people together in ways I never expected. With ACE on board, even more audiences will be able to experience the novel’s many diverse characters and the rich world that is Loveboat.”

No other information was announced.

“So this happened 🤣🤣🤣 I am beyond thrilled to be working w/ ACE Entertainment, producers of @JennyHan‘s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before to bring #LoveboatTaipei to the big screen. Thank you to all for being on this journey with me!”

Abigail Hing Wen Via Twitter

“Our cousins have done this program,” Sophie whispers. “Best kept secret. Zerosupervision.”

And just like that, Ever Wong’s summer takes an unexpected turn. Gone is Chien Tan, the strict educational program in Taiwan that Ever was expecting. In its place, she finds Loveboat: a summer-long free-for-all where hookups abound, adults turn a blind eye, snake-blood sake flows abundantly, and the nightlife runs nonstop.

But not every student is quite what they seem:

Ever is working toward becoming a doctor but nurses a secret passion for dance.

Rick Woo is the Yale-bound child prodigy bane of Ever’s existence whose perfection hides a secret.

Boy-crazy, fashion-obsessed Sophie Ha turns out to have more to her than meets the eye.

And under sexy Xavier Yeh’s shell is buried a shameful truth he’ll never admit.

When these students’ lives collide, it’s guaranteed to be a summer Ever will never forget.

Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen is out now!