EXCLUSIVE: Brett Haley is on board to direct 3000 Pictures’ adaptation of People We Meet on Vacation, which is based on Emily Henry’s New York Times bestseller. Yulin Kuang is adapting the screenplay, with Temple Hill’s Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey and Isaac Klausner producing. Laura Quicksilver is overseeing the project for Temple Hill, with Erin Siminoff and Sophie Kaplan overseeing for the studio.
The story follows Alex and Poppy, who have nothing in common. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City, and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together.
The novel was published in 2021 by Berkley Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. The novel debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list and spent more than a year on the paperback list. It has sold more than 1 million copies in the U.S. The book also won the Goodreads Choice Award for Romance and was listed as one of the best books of 2021 by Kirkus Reviews.
Haley had most recently directed Hearts Beat Loud, starring Nick Offerman and Kiersey Clemons. His other credits include The Hero, which premiered at Sundance in competition in 2017; All The Bright Places starring Elle Fanning; and All Together Now, was also recently released on Netflix. Haley is currently developing 36 Questions for Netflix, based on the musical podcast of the same name.
He has also recently broken into the TV space, directing an episode for the Hulu limited series Looking For Alaska, based on the award-winning novel of the same name.
Kuang most recently sold her feature adaptation of Maureen Goo’s novel I Believe In a Thing Called Love to Netflix with A-Major, Lee Byung-hun and Charles Pak producing and Lee Byung-hun starring. She also sold an original pitch to New Line called Jade Palace. In television, Kuang is adapting/directing a series based on the film 27 Dresses with Aline Brosh McKenna producing for ABC Studios, as well as a Jane Austen-inspired series called Hopeless Romantics for Paramount TV.
Henry’s most recent novel Book Lovers debuted at No. 1 on several bestseller lists. Her next book, Happy Place, will be released in April 2023.
Haley is repped by WME, manager Jeff Silver at Grandview, and attorneys Scott Whitehead and Jeff Frankel. Kuang is represented by UTA, Kaplan/Perrone and attorney Phillip Klein. Henry is represented by Taylor Haggerty of Root Literary and UTA.