Madelaine Petsch (The Strangers) And Gavin Casalegno (The Summer I Turned Pretty) To Star In Adaptation Of The Hit Wattpad Novel Chasing Red
Mackenzie Munro set to direct
Production begins early 2026
Mister Smith Entertainment announces international sales
LOS ANGELES/LONDON - Madelaine Petsch (The Strangers) and Gavin Casalegno (The Summer I Turned Pretty) will star in the upcoming young adult romance CHASING RED. The film is based on the eponymous, hit Wattpad webnovel by Isabelle Ronin. Mackenzie Munro will direct CHASING RED from a screenplay by Lauren Schacher (Hooking Up). The film is produced by Greg Silverman and Grant Torre of Stampede Ventures (Motor City) and David Madden and Jason Goldberg of WEBTOON Productions (After franchise).
In CHASING RED, Straight-A student Veronica (MADELAINE PETSCH) refuses to be college heartthrob Caleb’s (GAVIN CASALEGNO) next “conquest,” even after a chance encounter sparks an undeniable attraction between them. On the run from a painful past and with nowhere to go, Veronica ends up under Caleb’s roof. As their chemistry turns electric and secrets unravel, love and betrayal collide in this addictive, slow-burn romance.
Madelaine Petsch stars in and produces the newly released Amazon rom-com Maintenance Required. She recently wrapped Killer Films’ Pretty Babies, slated for a festival run, and can currently be seen in Lionsgate’s remake of The Strangers from Renny Harlin, with The Strangers: Chapter 2 premiering this past September. Known to global audiences for her breakout as Cheryl Blossom on Greg Berlanti’s hit CW series Riverdale.
Gavin Casalegno stars as ‘Jeremiah Fisher’ on Amazon Prime Video’s hit series The Summer I Turned Pretty, based on Jenny Han’s New York Times best-selling book series. The third and final season reached over 70 million viewers and ended with a surprise film announcement from Amazon. Next up Casalegno will star alongside Kathryn Newton and Lana Condor in Amazon MGM’s The Devil’s Mouth. He recently starred in the independent film Queen of the Ring alongside Walton Goggins and Tyler Posey. Casalengo made his feature film debut in Darren Aronofsky’s Noah, appearing opposite Russell Crowe and Sir Anthony Hopkins. Television credits include “Young Damon” on The Vampire Diaries and a recurring role on The CW’s Walker.
Wattpad is the publisher of the After romance series, which went on to make $168M at the global box office. Chasing Red is Wattpad’s 2nd most popular English-language title on Wattpad with 261 million reads online. It has also been adapted into a hit WEBTOON webcomic with 24 million views, and published as a print novel from Sourcebooks and a graphic novel from WEBTOON Unscrolled.
Mister Smith Entertainment (MSE) are handling international sales and has completed a raft of deals with Amazon’s Prime Video in the UK, Canada, Australia/New Zealand, France and Benelux; Capelight in Germany; Leone Film Group in Italy; Sun/Diamond in Latin America, Spain, Portugal and South Africa; Svensk in Scandinavia; Front Row Filmed Entertainment in the Middle East; Ascot Elite in Switzerland; Monolith in Poland; Vertical Distribution in Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria; AQS in Czech Republic and Slovakia; Blitz Film in Ex-Yugoslavia; Green Light Films in Ukraine; United King in Israel; The Film Group in Greece; TME in Turkey; and Star Entertainment in India. Production will begin in AlUla, Saudi Arabia in early 2026.
Stampede Ventures’ Founder and CEO Greg Silverman said, “Mackenzie brings such an elevated, romantic vision to Isabelle Ronin’s captivating love story that developed an astounding following on Wattpad, and Madelaine and Gavin are the perfect actors to finally bring Veronica and Caleb’s story to audiences around the world."
Mister Smith Entertainment’s SVP International Sales & Acquisitions Shane Kelly added, “With compelling romance, high emotional stakes, and a massive built-in fanbase, this is a surefire opportunity for international buyers looking to tap into the same global audience that propelled franchises like After. It’s a highly commercial package with all the right ingredients.”
“With a passionate fanbase and incredible cast, Chasing Red is one of the hottest packages on the market,” said David Madden, President of WEBTOON Productions. “We’re thrilled to produce this title with such fantastic partners and bring the next iteration of this Wattpad phenomenon to new and existing fans across the globe.”
Mackenzie Munro directed Wattpad’s first independently financed romantic comedy feature based on the popular Wattpad story, Boot Camp, which premiered in August 2024, and stars Rachel Boudwin, Drew Ray Tanner, and Emmanuelle Chriqui. In 2021, Mackenzie directed her first feature film Salvation, starring Skeet Ulrich, Claire Forlani, Ashley Moore, Theo Rossi and Thomas Jane. In addition to her directing work, Mackenzie runs Take a Trip, a production banner under which she develops original features and series.
Madelaine Petsch is represented by CAA, Mosaic, The Lede Company and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher. Gavin Casalegno is represented by Bold Agency, UTA, Luber Roklin Entertainment, Vision PR and Skrzyniarz & Mallean. Mackenzie Munro is represented by Sugar23 and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson + Christopher, LLP.