Matthew López Will Adapt & Direct RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE for Amazon Studios
López is also set to executive produce the film.
By: Michael Major Oct. 01, 2021
Marking his feature directorial debut, Tony Award-winning playwright Matthew López of The Inheritance will direct the LGBTQ+ romantic comedy Red, White & Royal Blue for Amazon Studios from a script he adapted from Casey McQuiston's instant New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller.
The novel, which was published in 2019, centers around the Latiné character of Alex Claremont-Diaz, the First Son of the United States, and his relationship with Prince Henry, grandson of the Queen of England.
What happens when America's Prince falls in love with an actual prince? The film follows Alex Claremont-Diaz who, upon his mother's election as President, was 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 fued 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: staging a truce between the two rivals.
What at first begins as a fake, Instragramable friendship grows into something more meaningful than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could complicate his mother's re-election campaign and upend two nations and begs the question: Can love save the world after all?
Producers include Berlanti/Schechter Films' Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter, with Michael McGrath executive producing. López will also executive produce.
About Matthew López
López's play The Inheritance, directed by Stephen Daldry, has been hailed as "the most important American play of the century." After originating in London in 2018, the play opened on Broadway in the fall of 2019, and has since become the most honored American play in a generation, sweeping the "Best Play" awards in both New York and London, including the Tony Award, Olivier Award, Drama Desk Award, Evening Standard Award, and the Drama League Award. He recently made history by becoming the first Latiné writer to win the Tony Award for Best Play.
The Inheritance is set to make its Los Angeles premiere at the Geffen Playhouse in 2022. In New York, López's work has been seen off-Broadway with The Whipping Man (Manhattan Theatre Club), and The Legend of Georgia McBride (MCC Theater), and he is currently co-writing the musical adaptation of the classic film Some Like it Hot. He is also working on a reimagining of the iconic 1992 Whitney Houston box office hit, The Bodyguard for Warner Bros, as well as a feature film adaptation of the novel Leading Men for Searchlight Pictures, which centers on Tennessee Williams and his longtime partner Frank Merlo. He previously signed an overall television development deal with Amazon Studios in October of last year.
About Casey McQuiston
McQuiston is a New York Times bestselling author of queer adult and young adult romcoms, including Red, White & Royal Blue, One Last Stop, and the forthcoming I Kissed Shara Wheeler.
Berlanti/Schechter Films is a production company founded by Emmy and Golden Globe nominated writer, director, and producer, Greg Berlanti and his producing partner, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Sarah Schechter. The company recently wrapped production on Amazon's My Policeman directed by Michael Grandage, starring Harry Styles and Emma Corrin, based on the novel of the same name by Bethan Roberts, and Chris Winterbauer's Moonshot starring Lana Condor, Cole Sprouse and Zach Braff.
In 2018, Berlanti directed the highly acclaimed Love, Simon; in 2020, Berlanti/Schechter Films produced Rachel Lee Goldenberg's Unpregnant, the first of four YA films they are making for HBO Max; and in 2021, they released Shawn Levy's Free Guy starring Ryan Reynolds and Jodie Comer. The company has projects set up at Netflix, where they have an exclusive first-look feature film deal, as well as Fox, New Line, Warner Brothers, Focus, Amazon, Skydance and Village Roadshow including an Untitled Rock Hudson Biopic; Red, White and Royal Blue; We Were Never Here, Be More Chill; The Sting; The Editor; and We Were There, Too.
López is represented by CAA, Grandview, and Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman. McQuiston is represented by Sara Megibow of KT Literary and UTA.
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