Leading Men Cast in Queer Adaptation of Red, White & Royal Blue

The long-awaited queer romantic film, Red, White & Royal Blue has just cast its leading men in Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine. The queer film is set to be a new fan favourite for lovers of romance.

Written by Casey McQuiston, the book quickly found its way onto the New York Times bestseller list, before being picked up for an on-screen adaptation by Amazon Studios. The film will be produced by Greg Berlanti, director of the 2018 film Love, Simon, and Sarah Schechter, with Matthew López and Michael McGrath as executive producers.

Depicts a Secret Romance Between the Prince of Wales and the First Son of the United States

The story depicts a secret romance between the Prince of Wales and the First Son of the United States in an alternate reality, set against the backdrop of a rivalry-turned-romance, more familiarly known as the enemies-to-lovers trope.

Perez is known for portraying Marco Valentin Peña in Netflix’s The Kissing Booth films, while Galitzine has also played a prince, starring in Amazon’s Cinderella alongside co-star Camila Cabello.
Hollywood actress Uma Thurman has been cast as President Ellen Claremont. The supporting cast will also include Stephen Fry, Clifton Collins Jr., and Sarah Shahi.

Fans have praised McQuiston’s ability to handle the text with care and sensitivity, with the bisexual awakening of a character in his twenties. Coming to terms with one’s gender and sexuality is a journey and McQuiston is excited for the cast to bring the story to life. Speaking to Deadline, McQuiston said, “This casting is no exception. I absolutely can’t wait to see Taylor and Nicholas on-screen as Alex and Henry.”

“I have seen more sales and more responses from readers and more everything in the past several months of the pandemic, than I did in the first year that the book was out,” McQuiston said in an interview with The Advocate.

The Inheritance Tony winner Matthew López will be making his directorial debut for the film. “Meeting with and auditioning literally hundreds of actors over these past several months has been a painstaking labour of love that has brought us this diverse and extraordinary cast, led so fantastically by Nick and Taylor,” said López.

“I cannot wait for the fans of the book (and indeed for the world) to find out how remarkably gifted and perfect these two actors are for bringing Henry and Alex to life.”

Though the date for Red, White & Royal Blue has yet to be announced, according to Deadline, production will commence this month in the UK.