Picture Credit: Netflix Film /Instagram
Netflix’s adaptation of Lynn Painter’s bestselling YA novel Better Than the Movies has officially wrapped filming! Director Julia Hart, who most recently helmed Netflix’s Don’t Say Good Luck, confirmed the news on Instagram after a near two-month shoot in Chicago, Illinois. With production complete and a ten-strong cast led by Beatrice Kitsos and David Iacono, here’s everything we know so far about Netflix’s adaptation of Better Than the Movies.
Better Than the Movies is an upcoming Netflix Original romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Julia Hart. The film is an adaptation of Lynn Painter’s #1 New York Times bestselling YA novel of the same name. Co-writing the screenplay alongside Hart are Jordan Horowitz (La La Land) and Heather Flanders (iCarly).
Netflix first confirmed Hart as director in May 2026. This is the third film Hart has been attached to direct for Netflix; the first was My Lovely Wife (which has been in limbo since 2023), and the second was Don’t Say Good Luck, which was released on Netflix on August 14, 2026. You can read our review of Don’t Say Good Luck and our interview with Hart about bringing the Sunny Sandler-led musical dramedy to Netflix.
Shauna Phelan (Snow Day), Jordan Horowitz, and Melanie Krauss are confirmed as producers on the film, with Original Headquarters as the production studio. Better Than the Movies is Original Headquarters’ second Netflix project after Don’t Say Good Luck.
It’s a busy period for Painter adaptations. Her 2022 novel Fake Skating is also heading to the big screen, with Amélie Hoeferle and Graham Campbell starring in a theatrical release set for July 16, 2027, meaning two Painter rom-coms could arrive within months of each other next year.
What is the plot of Better Than the Movies?
Netflix describes the film as a rom-com that “pays homage to all the romance tropes” (fake relationship, enemies to lovers, boy next door) before turning them on their heads. The fuller synopsis for the film has been sourced from Production Weekly:
The teen rom-com follows a hopelessly romantic teen girl and her cute yet obnoxious neighbor as they scheme to get her noticed by her untouchable crush. Perpetual daydreamer Liz Buxbaum gave her heart to Michael a long time ago. But her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away. Now that he’s back in town, Liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar—and maybe snag him as a prom date—even befriend Wes Bennet. The annoyingly attractive next-door neighbor might seem like a prime candidate for romantic comedy fantasies, but Wes has only been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. Pranks involving frogs and decapitated lawn gnomes do not a potential boyfriend make. Yet, somehow, Wes and Michael are hitting it off, which means Wes is Liz’s in. But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz noticed by Michael so she can have her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love—and rethink her own ideas of what Happily Ever After should look like.
Who are the cast members of Better Than the Movies?
Netflix has confirmed the cast of Better Than the Movies, revealing 10 cast members for the film.
Beatrice Kitsos (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Child’s Play) plays Liz Buxbaum, David Iacono (The Summer I Turned Pretty) plays Wes Bennett, Deacon Phillippe (Brother Save Us) plays Michael Young, Nicole Bruner (On Call) plays Jocelyn, Luke Kirby (Étoile) plays Brian Buxbaum, Judy Greer (Archer) plays Helena, Claire Coffee (Grimm) plays Martha Buxbaum, Ora Duplass (Their Town) plays Laney Morgan, Veronica Garrubbo (Saturn Return) plays Alex, and Kynlee Heiman (All Saints Day) plays Young Liz.
Kitsos and Iacono were the first names confirmed when Netflix revealed its Liz and Wes on July 31, 2026, following what Netflix described as a buzzy talent search and passionate fan casting. Kitsos had been a popular fan pick for the role for months, and even posted on Instagram asking Netflix to let her audition, writing simply, “Pls let me audition.”
Painter gave the pairing her enthusiastic seal of approval the same day the casting was announced, posting on Instagram:
The CHEMISTRY – you GUYYYYYS!!! They’ve totally NAILED the casting; the Wes/Liz chemistry is insane here. Like, Bea and David might actually be more WesLiz than the WesLiz in my brain – cannot wait for you to see!
The remaining eight cast members were announced on September 3, 2026, as cameras began rolling in Chicago. Several of the supporting cast will be familiar faces to Netflix subscribers. Iacono previously appeared as a demon in Dead Boy Detectives, while Greer has another Netflix movie on the way in the 13 Going on 30 reboot, which wrapped filming in August 2026 and is expected in late 2026 or early 2027.
Hart’s wrap post (more on that below) also tags several collaborators who weren’t part of Netflix’s initial cast announcement, including Davion Kolby, Max Kwiatkowski, Shayar Bhansali, and Fiora Cutler, so expect more names to be confirmed as the film gets closer to release.
What is the production status of Better Than the Movies?
Filming on Better Than the Movies has officially wrapped. Director Julia Hart confirmed the news on Instagram on October 24, 2026, writing:
That is a wrap on Better Than The Movies. The Midwest & its extraordinary inhabitants have stolen my heart. There’s a reason Lynn’s stories live here. The love is everywhere. Thank you @lynnpainterbooks for letting us tell your story. We are eternally grateful.
Hart followed that up on October 28 with a tribute to the film’s crew, calling them “a wonderful group of human beings who care deeply about their jobs & deeply about each other,” adding, “I’m forever changed for knowing you & having worked with you. It was truly an honor. Til next time.”
Production Weekly had reported in issue 1513 that Better Than the Movies would film in Chicago, Illinois, from September 3, 2026, through October 21, 2026, with the production based at The Fields Studios. The shoot ultimately ran a few days beyond that scheduled end date. The film was one of a number of Netflix movies shooting over the summer and fall of 2026.
Hart shared her first glimpse from the set in September, posting a short snippet of life on set captioned “so far so good” and tagging Painter. The author spent several days on set herself and posted her own pictures, saying she was excited about where the movie was going and praising Hart’s handling of the adaptation. Painter was still in Chicago as filming came to a close, posting on October 25 that she’d delivered fan-made bracelets to Kitsos and Iacono the night before, which was likely the final night of the shoot. Local reporting back in early October caught the movie filming at Town House Books & Cafe in St. Charles.
When will Better Than the Movies be released on Netflix?
With filming now wrapped and the film in post-production, we still expect Better Than the Movies to be released on Netflix sometime in Summer or Fall 2027. A rom-com of this scale would typically need around eight to ten months in post, which lines up with a mid-to-late 2027 launch.
Netflix usually unveils its full film slate for the year ahead in January or February, so we expect to learn more when the 2027 release schedule is announced early next year. In the meantime, you can keep up with every Netflix comedy and rom-com movie on the way in 2026 and 2027, and check out the 20 big Netflix movies expected to release in 2027.
Are you looking forward to watching Better Than the Movies on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!
