AceShowbiz - The stars of The Summer I Turned Pretty played a pivotal role in transforming the Prime Video series into one of the most successful Young Adult hits on streaming platforms, eventually leading to the announcement of a follow-up film. However, behind the scenes, securing the cast’s return for the film has been complicated by reported salary disagreements.

According to a recent Deadline report, the negotiations over compensation threatened to delay production as the cast prepared to reprise their roles in the movie, which is set to conclude the storyline of The Summer I Turned Pretty. The show, based on Jenny Han’s best-selling novels, began modestly but grew into a cultural phenomenon by its third and final season.

Initially, The Summer I Turned Pretty had a modest following, but its popularity surged in season 2, boosted by a soundtrack featuring artists like Taylor Swift. By season 3, the series had amassed a fervent fanbase, especially intrigued by the ongoing romantic tension involving Belly and the brothers Conrad and Jeremiah. This spike in popularity ultimately convinced Prime Video to green-light a movie continuation, surprising fans who assumed the story would end with the third season.

Despite the enthusiasm surrounding the film’s production, Deadline’s report reveals a more complex scenario. The core cast—Lola Tung, Christopher Briney, and Gavin Casalegno—were reportedly paid between $35,000 and $40,000 per episode during season 1, a typical rate for emerging actors in a YA series. As the show’s audience and acclaim grew, expectations for higher pay naturally increased.

Negotiations for salary adjustments took place during the later seasons, but these discussions became entangled with efforts to secure the cast’s commitment to the upcoming film, slated to begin filming on April 27. Sources cited by Deadline suggest that some cast members hesitated to agree to the film’s proposed terms. They were reportedly informed that any salary increases for the final season would depend on their willingness to sign on for the movie.

Ultimately, the main cast—including Sean Kaufman and Rain Spencer, who play key supporting roles—agreed to revised contracts. These new deals reportedly included salary bumps for season 3, with estimates placing their per-episode pay around $100,000. However, some sources from the talent side described the negotiations as being conducted “under duress,” implying that the actors felt pressured to accept the conditions.

From the studio’s perspective, as relayed by Deadline, the actors were fully supportive of the arrangement. Nevertheless, the report also highlights concerns regarding compensation for the film. Under the renegotiated contracts, main cast members, including Kaufman and Spencer, are said to be compensated at a rate roughly equivalent to three episodes’ pay combined—around $300,000—for the entire movie.

Efforts to revisit these payment terms after season 3’s massive success reportedly met with little success. Season 3 became the most-watched installment, drawing approximately 70 million global viewers within its first 70 days and remaining in Prime Video’s Top 10 rankings for months. This impressive reach raises questions about whether the cast’s pay accurately reflects their contribution to the franchise’s widespread acclaim.

As production ramps up and the cast returns to Cousins Beach for what fans anticipate to be the final chapter of this beloved story, these salary disputes underscore the ongoing challenges in balancing talent compensation with the realities of streaming production budgets. The resolution of these issues will likely influence not only the film’s timeline but also the future working relationships between the cast and the studio.

With the original series having left a significant mark on the Young Adult genre and streaming landscape, all eyes remain on the upcoming movie and how it will honor the story that captivated millions. The complex negotiations behind the scenes serve as a reminder of the business intricacies involved in evolving a hit series into a concluding feature.