What if you looked at the story of Romeo and Juliet from someone else’s point of view? Hulu’s New Movie Rosaline explores their story through the eyes of Julia’s cousin (Kaitlyn Dever). The movie is based on the book When you were mine by Rebecca Serle.
Karen Maine directed the film while Scott Neustadter wrote the screenplay. He previously wrote screenplays for the adaptations Paper cities, The Fault in Our Starsand Daisy Jones & The Six. Maine previously wrote and directed the comedy drama Yes, God, Yes. Dever is both the star and executive producer of Rosaline. Other executive producers include Whitney Brown (Hemlock Grove), Becca Edelman (Shadow and Bone, Dash & Lily), and Emily Morris (Weird stuff).
Get ready to hear about the chapter in the story of Romeo and Juliet that has always been left out.
Rosaline: The plot
Everyone knows the story of Romeo & Juliet. The tragic story of two star-crossed lovers who don’t get their happy ending, but end the feud between their parents so that they at least have a positive impact on the world around them. What if part of their story was that Juliet’s niece Rosaline was Romeo’s ex-girlfriend and tried to break them up all the time?
Rosaline and Romeo had their romance, but when Juliet comes into the picture, it’s gone. Although Rosaline initially wants to win Romeo back and ruin her cousin’s chance of love, she might come by. However, her heart is set on stopping the wedding by any means necessary.
The trailer shows how Rosaline tries to sow doubt where possible. From implying that every woman in town has been to Romeo’s to taking her cousin to a bar to introduce her to other men eager to offer her a drink, her efforts are in vain. When Juliet tells her cousin that she is going to fake her death, the reason why is not revealed, it seems clear that Juliet is willing to do whatever it takes to keep Romeo by her side. Whose efforts will be worth it in the end?
In the book, Rosaline has been yearning for Romeo, named Rob, for years. All she has ever wanted is for them to become an item. Just when it looks like that’s about to happen for her, her cousin Juliet comes to town. The two ladies used to be best friends, but that is no longer the case. It doesn’t look like this has been translated to the movie as the trailer shows them on pretty good terms until Juliet finds out Rosaline wants Romeo for herself. Plus, Rosaline starts helping Juliet and Romeo be together in the book as she goes on a journey of self-discovery, so we’ll have to see if that’s included in the adaptation.
Rosaline: The Cast
Kaitlyn Dever is Rosaline. She is known for her work in Last Man Standing, Dear Evan Hansen, Dopessick, smart bookand unbelievable. Her cousin Juliet is played by Isabela Merced. Merced starred in the movies Let it Snow, Immediate familyand Dora and the Lost City of Goldand was cast in Marvel’s Madame Web. Their Romeo is Kyle Allen. The actor is in American horror story, West Side Storyand The In-between.
The cast also includes Bradley Whitford (The Handmaid’s Tale, Out) as Friar Laurence, Spencer Stevenson as Paris, Sean Teale (Management) as Dario, Minnie Driver (Will & Grace) as the nurse, Miloud Mourad Benamara (House of Gucci) as custodian, Christopher McDonald (american crime story, hacking) as Lord Capulet, Henry Hunter Hall (hunters) as Mercutio, Alhaji Fofana (silent witness) as Benvolio, and Spencer Stevenson (The robbery) as Paris.
Publication date
The film will be available to stream on Hulu on October 14, 2022.
Everything else we know
While promoting the release of her book, the author spoke with Teen Vogue about her inspiration for writing the book. The idea for the story came to her when she was at a friend’s house Romeo & Juliet was mentioned.
“My own heartbreak. I was at my best friend’s apartment and we were chatting about love stories. Romeo and Juliet came up, and with that came this question: What ever happened to Rosaline? I immediately remember that I said, ‘That’s my book; that’s my story.” I felt like I really understood Rosaline and I knew what it felt like to be the girl who was left behind.”
The Hulu movie isn’t the first attempt at an adaptation of When you were mine, but it’s the first to make it to the screens. After the book’s release in 2012, Fox 2000 was set to adapt it. The film was cast, starring Emilia Clarke and Dave Franco, with Michael Sucsy set to direct. The film moved to Universal, and while the director and producers came along, the cast didn’t. That movie never happened.
Rosaline is also not the only media based on Serle’s work. The Freeform Show Famous in lovewhich featured Bella Thorne is based on her duology of the same name. Deadline announced in April that New Line and HBO Max would be adapting her book in five years.
While you wait to find out which parts of the story were hidden all these years, check out some new shows coming to Hulu this month.