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Whereas film theaters principally skilled a drought of romance movies in 2025, Amazon Prime Video arguably had one of many largest blockbusters of the summer season with the ultimate season of “The Summer season I Turned Fairly.” The approaching-of-age collection primarily based on the novel trilogy written by Jenny Han ended because the streaming service’s high title in additional than 140 international locations. Whether or not protagonist Stomach ought to find yourself with childhood crush Conrad, or his youthful brother Jeremiah, even turned a query requested on pink carpets that had nothing to do with the challenge?
The achievement is an inflection level for writer Han, who each created and co-ran the collection primarily based on her books. Season 3 even marked her directorial debut, with “Final Dance,” the long-awaited episode from Conrad’s perspective. Although the present has come to an finish, the finale introduced with it information of a cinematic conclusion to once more be directed by Han, co-written with Sarah Kucserka, her “The Summer season I Turned Fairly” co-showrunner for Season 2 and Season 3.
As for whether or not her current ascendance to a multi-hyphenate mogul was at all times the plan, Han advised IndieWire over Zoom, “I keep in mind having conversations with buddies about what would you do should you gained the lottery and also you gained hundreds of thousands of {dollars}? And I mentioned I’d begin my very own manufacturing firm and make TV and flicks. Nevertheless it wasn’t a aim. It was only a kind of pie within the sky want.”
Although she had first been engaged on the TV collection adaptation of “The Summer season I Turned Fairly,” the primary one in all her books to be tailored right into a streaming service challenge was the Netflix movie “To All of the Boys I’ve Cherished Earlier than” in 2018. Whereas Han had loved life as an writer, saying “I’ve at all times cherished storytelling and writing books and simply being on the earth of story,” being an government producer on the movie gave her a brand new perspective on how she would convey extra of her books to the display. “Being on set and filmmaking, I simply actually cherished it, so I knew I wished to do extra,” she mentioned.
“The essential factor is actually conserving what the essence of the story is,” mentioned Han. Seeing how the “To All of the Boys” movie collection would make modifications from web page to display, the writer turned showrunner would comply with swimsuit when it was her adapting her personal work, creating “The Summer season I Turned Fairly” TV collection. “It was good for me additionally to be following my instincts and what I consider the viewers likes in regards to the story and making an attempt to maintain that essence.”
One of many huge selections was deciding it ought to be a TV present within the first place. “I don’t suppose that each guide is supposed to be a film or TV present. Some issues I feel are higher of their authentic kind. In order that was not on my thoughts as I used to be writing the tales,” mentioned Han. “Many authors have that hope that one in all their books can be tailored, however it’s actually simply to get extra individuals to learn your guide. However now, as a result of I’m screenwriting and producing and directing, the problem is which medium is greatest for which story, as a result of I’ve so many tales in my mind and it’s nearly selecting what’s what.”
With TV, “you’ve quite a lot of room to inform the story, and then you definitely even have much more characters and it’s only a larger world. It’s not so insular the place you’re actually in Stomach’s head solely within the books,” mentioned Han. “I went into it making an attempt to be as goal as attainable by way of what’s greatest for the story and the way I’d inform this story right this moment, and likewise appreciating that it’s two totally different mediums.”
Although these particulars in the end coloration the story she is telling, relatively than grow to be a core a part of the story, a giant change for “The Summer season I Turned Fairly” was casting an Asian actress to play Stomach. “I at all times take into consideration story first and what I feel is greatest going to serve the story. And after we had been casting for Stomach, we forged a fairly broad internet. I knew she was going to be Asian, however then we had been actually taking a look at quite a lot of totally different potential Stomach’s,” mentioned the present creator. Upon seeing the audition tape from eventual collection lead Lola Tung, Han mentioned “she actually simply touched my coronary heart.”
Although the writer and showrunner isn’t so pushed by tales led by a particular demographic, saying, “no matter I do, I’m pondering first in regards to the story and what I feel will serve it greatest,” together with casting selections, it has been gratifying to see the methods through which the viewers has expanded for her coming-of-age collection with a various forged. “Individuals of all totally different backgrounds inform me that they watch the present, and it actually is kind of a large and numerous viewers and that they really feel linked to the story,” she mentioned. “That could be a nice praise to the present when individuals who you wouldn’t suppose at first blush are the target market are watching the present.”
She provides, “It’s at all times essential to attach with characters and tales and locations that you just wouldn’t essentially suppose have something to do with you, however that you can really feel that sort of empathy and human connection, watching any person and seeing we’re totally different, however we’re all very alike as properly.”
Though, by the recognition of “The Summer season I Turned Fairly,” the “To All of the Boys” movie franchise, and its TV collection follow-up “XO, Kitty” (which she additionally created,) Han has grow to be as success that transcends the younger grownup area, she nonetheless depends on her viewers to find out what the key sauce is for what makes her initiatives so well-received. “I similar to to make issues that I’d get pleasure from as a reader or a viewer, so I feel it’s actually essential as a storyteller to fulfill your self and do issues which might be thrilling to you, after which the viewers finds you,” she mentioned. “I like tales that really feel honest and actual and from the center. In order that’s the sort of story I like to inform.”
Exterior wanting in, one of many contributing elements of her present’s success is the soundtrack for “The Summer season I Turned Fairly,” full with loads of songs from music famous person Taylor Swift. Impressed by initiatives like Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo + Juliet,” which she calls “top-of-the-line ever soundtracks,” Han mentioned, “from the get go, after I was pitching the present, I mentioned that the music can be one other character on the present and that I actually the present itself to really feel cross-generational and that the music can be part of that. So it wouldn’t simply be all present music, however it could be an actual mix of what the mother and father had been listening to and what the children in the home listened to over time, simply so you can actually really feel that sort of layered, actual existence in the home. And for that, I used to be well-supported by Prime Video.”
The choice to launch the episodes week to week additionally turned a contributing issue to the streaming collection’ success. “You spend a lot time making one thing you need individuals to actually get to get pleasure from it and take their time with it,” mentioned Han, complimenting the present’s weekly cadence. “It simply makes it final a bit of longer in individuals’s reminiscence as properly. It simply makes a extra lasting influence should you dwell with it a bit longer.”
Lastly, stemming off each the “To All of the Boys” and “The Summer season I Turned Fairly,” which had been each printed as trilogies, Han’s tailored work makes a robust case for tales which have a definitive conclusion. “I actually like understanding what the tip goes to be. To me, after I’m watching a film or a TV present, I really feel like I’m in actually good fingers with the storyteller when it looks like they know the place they’re taking me,” she mentioned. Going into her flip on the wheel, as a showrunner, Han mentioned “I at all times need to be within the driver’s seat of when the story ends, as a result of then you’ll be able to’t actually know the place the rises and the falls and the place you might be within the story should you don’t know the place you’re ending it. To me as a storyteller, it’s actually essential to have that vacation spot in thoughts.”
In less complicated phrases, “I like a starting, center, and finish. And to me, the present has a starting, center, and finish,” mentioned Han. The upcoming “The Summer season I Turned Fairly” movie, her characteristic debut, is a flip of the web page. “When you’ve watched the present first, then you’ll higher benefit from the film. However I simply love romantic comedy, so I’m actually excited to supply one thing to the style.”
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