Watch the Official Trailer for Red, White & Royal Blue
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Casey McQuiston's 2019 novel Red, White & Royal Blue is a delightful and much-needed dose of pure escapism. The book depicts a secret romance between a fictional First Son and a fictional British prince, crafting its gorgeous LGBTQ+ love story within an alternate reality that's extremely preferable to our own.
Fans have been eagerly awaiting the adaptation for years, and Amazon Prime has finally announced casting information for the Red, White & Royal Blue movie. Here's what we know so far.
Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez star as Prince Henry and Alex Claremont-Diaz.
Per Deadline, Nicholas Galitzine, who's best known as Prince Robert in the Camila Cabello-staring Cinderella, will play Prince Henry. Meanwhile Taylor Zakhar Perez, who starred in Netflix's Kissing Booth trilogy, has been cast as Alex.
“It has been a thrill to hand this story over to Berlanti/Schechter, Amazon, and our fearless leader Matthew López and watch them make so many smart, bold, thoughtful choices to bring it to life,” McQuiston said in a statement. “This casting is no exception. I absolutely can’t wait to see Taylor and Nicholas on screen as Alex and Henry.”
"Nick and I hit it off right away," Zakhar Perez told Glamour. "We had our chemistry read on Zoom, and then we went straight into rehearsals on day one. We didn't even have a lunch or a, 'Hi, nice to meet you.' We just had to trust each other."
Galitzine added, "Taylor and I have this level of insincerity with each other. We have this public [banter] with each other, but privately we're really, really close mates. That's kind of Alex and Henry in a lot of ways, negging each other and pushing each other's buttons. Taylor and I spoke the same language, had the same humor. You need to have a partner in crime to embody these roles."
The movie started filmed during summer 2022.
We've been blessed with a lot of behind-the-scenes content. Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez were spotted filming a scene on a bench in London, as Alex (Perez) looks over Henry (Galitzine)'s shoulder:
Perez wrote on his Instagram on June 18 that they had wrapped week one, geotagging London:
And director Matthew López took to his Instagram on June 10, to share that they had spent two weeks rehearsing and, "It’s been a joy to watch Henry and Alex come to life in the room. Excited to make this movie with them."
Uma Thurman will play America's first female president.
The character of Ellen Claremont, a smart, ambitious progressive Democrat who successfully won the White House in 2016, is a key part of what makes the world of Red, White & Royal Blue so enticing. So it's no surprise that the producers searched for a fittingly iconic actress to portray her—hours after the rest of the cast was announced, Amazon confirmed that Uma Thurman would play President Claremont.
“I am overjoyed that Uma will be joining us to play President Claremont,” López said, per Deadline. “Her intelligence, warmth, and humor are a perfect match for Casey’s iconic character. I cannot wait to be on our Oval Office set with her.”
The cast will also include:
Rachel Hilson as Nora Holleran
Sarah Shahi as Zahara Bankston
Ellie Bamber as Princess Bea
Malcom Atobrah as Percy Okonjo
Stephen Fry as the King
Clifton Collins Jr.
Sharon D Clark
Thomas Flynn
The movie is directed by a Tony-winning playwright.
Matthew López will make his feature debut with Red, White & Royal Blue. López wrote and directed the Tony-award winning play The Inheritance, which explored the dynamics between a group of young gay men in New York a decade after the AIDS epidemic. He adapted McQuiston's novel for the screen with Ted Malawer, and will also direct.
The adaptation is likely to remain faithful to the book's plot.
Red, White & Royal Blue
$10.93
amazon.com
Because truly, why mess with perfection? Set in an alternative 2020 (spoilers: there is no pandemic), the book centers on America's First Son, Alex Claremont-Diaz, whose mother is the nation's first female president. As part of President Ellen Claremont's reelection campaign, her PR team decides to stage a friendship between Alex and his longtime rival: a young British royal named Prince Henry.
But that faux-friendship soon becomes a passionate secret romance, which threatens to derail not only the presidential campaign, but Alex's own political ambitions. As the book's official synopsis asks: "What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?"
Ahead of the movie, Harper Collins is releasing a special collector's edition of the novel, featuring a brand-new chapter from Henry's point of view ahead of their royal wedding. The chapter takes place six years after the events of the book.
The movie will premiere on August 11, 2023.
"This summer, love gets royally complicated..." Prime Video teased. Watch a full trailer above!
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