Author Emily Henry has heard about the Joe Keery and Dylan O’Brien casting rumors — and she has some thoughts.
Henry, 34, told Us Weekly exclusively that she could “for sure” see either actor taking on the role of Miles in the upcoming adaptation of her 2024 novel, Funny Story.
“I don’t picture an actor when I’m writing, but after there’s a book that’s starting to get adapted, I do start thinking about it,” Henry explained at the People We Meet on Vacation premiere in Los Angeles on Tuesday, January 6. “Those actors are definitely on my mental Miles list. I think both of them would make total sense.”
Henry made it clear that she doesn’t have “a short list” for the role just yet.
“But I definitely could see that and I think they’d be amazing,” she added.
When it came to details about her upcoming adaptations, Henry stayed tight-lipped. (Aside from Funny Story, her books Beach Read, Book Lovers and Happy Place are all set to come to life on screen.)
“Everything’s moving, and I feel like everybody has been so excited about this movie, and I feel like it’s helped everything kind of gain momentum,” she said, referencing People We Meet on Vacation, which premieres via Netflix on Friday, January 9. “I’m really hopeful that I will have more concrete updates to share. But I can say, everything is still moving.”
Dylan O’Brien. Dominik Bindl/Getty Images
People We Meet on Vacation, starring Emily Bader and Tom Blyth, is the first one of Henry’s books to receive an onscreen adaptation.
“It’s surreal. I’ve had time to adjust to it because I’ve seen it five times now, but I like it more every time,” the writer told Us. “I feel like I’m finally to the point where I can watch it, and I’m watching it like a movie. I’m not just worrying about things and wondering.”
Henry told Us that the movie is “so good” and teased how it elevates her novel.
“It’s really cool and magical but also I’m just so proud of everybody who worked on this because this is really their baby,” she continued. “I have the book. I love the book. I’ll always be proud of the book, but they made something really special that I feel like takes the book and then does some new stuff with it too.”
Joe Keery. Mike Coppola/Getty Images
She added, “They built on the characters from the book, but they’re new creations and that was something I found very inspiring as a writer and want to think about more going forward.”
That being said, all of Henry’s favorite parts of her novel made it into the movie.
“The things that were my non-negotiables definitely did. I think we got 95 percent of what the readers are going to be hoping for, which I think is a huge percentage for a book like this,” she shared. “The book is way longer than a movie and I really feel like they found creative ways to squeeze and finagle and change so that almost everything that the readers are hoping that they’re going to see, they’ll get to see.”
