Grab your popcorn! A new gay romance film is on the way!
According to Deadline, producers Alex Liu and Leo Neri are teaming up with Marginal MediaWorks to adapt Alison Cochrun’s hit novel The Charm Offensive into a new feature film.
Nik Dodani has signed on to star in the upcoming project, while Erin Williams and Shawn K Jain have been tapped as screenwriters.
Like its 2021 novel counterpart, the heartwarming gay romance will follow Dev Deshpande (Dodani), a producer of a hit Bachelor-esque dating show, and Charlie Winshaw, a disgraced tech billionaire who goes on said series to clean up his image.
While he has orchestrated countless happy endings with his optimism and belief in love, Charlie proves to be Dev’s biggest challenge yet, due to the former’s awkward, stiff on-camera appearances and cold, emotionally closed-off demeanour behind the scenes. It also doesn’t help that the two have developed an unexpected, steamy romantic connection.
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The official book synopsis adds: “As Dev fights to get Charlie to connect with the contestants on a whirlwind, worldwide tour, they begin to open up to each other, and Charlie realises he has better chemistry with Dev than with any of his female co-stars. But even reality TV has a script, and in order to find to happily ever after, they’ll have to reconsider whose love story gets told.”
In a statement to the aforementioned news outlet, Liu and Neri gushed about the success of Cochrun’s acclaimed novel, which has garnered a dedicated social media following and landed on the ALA’s The Reading List since its release.
“I came across The Charm Offensive as a staff pick in a small-town rural library and read it straight through in one sitting. What struck me wasn’t just how good it was, but also where it was being embraced,” Liu said.
Neri echoed similar sentiments, adding: “It turns out audiences are drawn to an endearing love story with a liberal dose of smuttiness. Who knew? Erin and Shawn’s adaptation taps into that pleasure, delivering a romantic comedy that’s cinematic and playfully aware of its charm.”
In addition to the film’s producers, Dodani expressed excitement over being cast, joking that he’s “been waiting for the role that would finally get me into the gym.“
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“No matter how bad things get in the world, it’s a comfort to know we’re always going to have more gay shit to watch. I loved the novel when it was published, and Erin and Shawn’s script is such a fun read,“ he said.
As of this writing, details on additional casting and a release date are being kept underwraps.
Donani memorably rose to fame in 2017 for his role as Zahid Raja in Netflix’s Atypical, before starring in films like 2024’s Twisters, Disney’s Strange World, and HBO Max’s The Parenting.
Stay tuned for more information about the film adaptation of The Charm Offensive.
