Tommy Dorfman‘s film adaptation of Mariko Tamaki’s graphic novel Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me has cast Ava Phillippe and Sam Morelos in the lead roles, The Hollywood Reporter can reveal.
Toronto-based film and television production company Wildling Pictures and L.A.-based MXN Entertainment told THR that director Dorfman, best known for her role in Netflix‘s 13 Reasons Why, has found her stars in Phillippe — daughter of Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe — and Morelos (That ’90s Show).
Based on Tamaki’s best-selling graphic novel, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me follows Laura Dean, the most popular girl in school and Freddie Riley’s dream girl. “She has it all — charm, confidence, and charisma,” a plot synopsis reads. “But there’s one problem: Laura Dean keeps breaking up with her. The story follows Freddie’s journey to finding the courage to end her toxic relationship and regain her self-love, with the help of her best friends and a psychic.”
Dorfman said about the casting: “While searching for our Freddie, Sam came into the room with a grounded, eccentric, and timeless character encompassing all of Freddie’s wonder, heart, and artistry. It was clear from that moment that she was the right person to bring this story to life.”
“Similarly, Ava’s effortlessness as Laura Dean and the chemistry between them as actors was electric. I couldn’t be more thrilled to work with both rising stars on my sophomore film.”
Dorfman’s recently-launched Good Girl Productions has boarded as co-producer of the film with Wildling Pictures and MXN Entertainment. The company, focused on telling stories that “challenge and shift our perspective of the human experience — and deepen our own human experience as a result of them,” has launched in partnership with Tricky Knot, an entertainment financing and development company. Tricky Knot is co-financing Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me through its partnership with Dorfman’s banner.
Matt Code at Wildling Pictures added: “We are thrilled to have Ava and Sam onboard this heartwarming and funny adaption of Mariko Tamaki’s story. This film is a fresh and important exploration of love and friendship. Tommy and Good Girl Productions are the perfect partners for this project, bringing immense passion to the adaptation. Together with our partners at MXN, we look forward to working with this wonderful team to bring this story to the big screen.”
Tamaki’s powerful commentary on the teenage LGBTQIA+ experience and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell’s illustrations received global recognition, with Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me named one of Time’s 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time.
She has also written for both Marvel and DC Comics, and is currently an executive story editor on season two of Apple’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and served as a co-producer on season two of Goosebumps for Disney+.