The Inheritance Tony winner Matthew López is writing an adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s gay romantic comedy novel Red, White, and Royal Blue for Amazon Studios—and he'll make his directorial debut, as well. Published in 2019, the book quickly became a New York Times best-seller and went viral thanks to word of mouth within the LGBTQIA+ community for its positive mainstream depiction of gay romance in the beach read genre, which historically lacks non-heteronormative storylines.
More details, including casting and a release date, will be announced later.
Upon his mother’s election as President, Alex Claremont-Diaz is promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, brilliant―his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There's only one problem: Alex has a long-running feud with his royal counterpart across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse. Heads of family, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control—but what at first begins as a fake, Instragramable friendship grows into something more meaningful than either Alex or Henry could have imagined.
Producers for the film include Berlanti/Schechter Films’ Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter, with Michael McGrath executive producing. López will also executive produce.
López’s The Inheritance—also rooted in the LGBTQIA+ experience—scored four Tony Awards earlier this week, including Best Play, along with awards for director Stephen Daldry and two performers: Andrew Burnap and Lois Smith.
