What (and When) We Can Expect From "The Summer I Turned Pretty" Movie!

The last bite of your favorite meal always comes too soon, and for fans of "The Summer I Turned Pretty", so did last week’s finale. But, fortunately for the fans, we don't have to say goodbye just yet, because creator Jenny Han has confirmed that Cousins Beach will return, this time on the big screen!

That’s right, folks, we aren’t finished with this storyline just yet. We’ve got plenty to cover (and speculate about), but first, a quick warning: if you haven’t watched the finale, we recommend you go watch it first. Spoilers ahead!

Alright, now that the formalities are out of the way, let’s dive into the big news, which, we have to say, arrived just when we needed it most. We really thought last week’s episode might’ve been the end, until Jenny Han and the show’s social media accounts swooped in to save the day, confirming that there was more to this story. This made the finale a little easier to digest. And if you’re anything like our friends, you’re still replaying that “Dress” scene, or remembering how Conrad delivered lines that had us tossing pillows and smacking our crossed legs while screaming at the TV.

But let’s pump the brakes for a second. Yes, we got plenty to gush over, but there was also a glaring lack of resolution. However, now we're beginning to wonder... was that the point all along?

If you were tuned into the online chatter about Season 3, you know this concern popped up long before the finale. With only a handful of episodes left, we were at home watching Belly chase down an AirTag or Jeremiah perfect his culinary skills. Fun moments, sure, but they left us wondering how on earth the show could deliver a proper send-off by the time the finale arrived.

Fast forward to the finale, and yes, we finally got the reunion between Conrad and Belly, the molten-hot tension, and the big realization that they’re meant to be together forever. But you know what we didn’t get? A reunion with everyone back home. A proposal. A wedding. So… where was it?

Well, it’s starting to look like those missing moments will take center stage in the film’s storyline. Beyond that, the plot is still a mystery. Jenny Han has kept everything tightly under wraps. What we can expect, however, is that the movie won’t revolve around the love triangle that defined the show. Why? Well, for one, did you see that finale?! There’s no coming back from that. And second, the promotional image announcing the film featured only Lola Tung and Christopher Briney and no one else, which feels very intentional.

What we don’t know yet, though, is when the film will actually arrive. When asked about a release date on "The Today Show", Jenny Han revealed, that while she has finished a draft, she doesn’t know when the film will be released to the public, but she knows that it won’t be next year. 

From that, you might assume the release is years away (2027 or beyond). But honestly, that just won’t do. Which is why we, like many other fans, are convincing ourselves that Jenny’s words are deliberately vague, and that she’s technically right in saying that it won’t come out next year… because it’s actually arriving later this year!

And I mean, come on, have we ever been delulu about fan theories before? Don’t answer that. Still, we do have some evidence to back this one up. First, there was Christopher Briney’s reaction during "The Today Show" interview. Sitting beside Jenny Han, he looked genuinely confused whenever she mentioned the film wouldn’t be releasing for a long time, leading many to wonder if he hadn’t exactly gotten the memo about keeping the release date under wraps.

On top of that, we can’t ignore how the finale ended -- with a series of Polaroids, presumably from Conrad and Belly’s first Christmas together in Paris. Why does that matter? Because Season 3 practically hammered us with the number 14. In the early Christmas flashback, Belly wore a sweater with “14” stitched across the front. Later, she and Conrad wandered through aisle 14 at Michael’s. At the airport, the ticket agent spoke beneath a glowing “14”, and, just to drive it home, the total fare was $473, which adds up to 14.

So, why the obsession? Here’s the kicker: Christmas Day falls exactly 14 weeks after Jenny Han appeared with the cast on "The Today Show". That might explain why the finale closed with a Christmas photoshoot, and why so many filmed scenes never made it into the season. They weren’t cut, they were saved for the movie. And if the theory holds, we could be unwrapping it as early as Christmas 2025!

It’s no surprise that Taylor Swift fans often overlap with "TSITP" fans, because these easter eggs are definitely not for the faint of heart.

Whether the movie drops this year or later, one thing’s certain: this isn’t the end of the story we’ve all grown so attached to. The proposal, the wedding, and who knows what else… Jenny Han is cooking up something that’s bound to keep us on our toes!