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Okay, after Netflix announced the People We Meet On Vacation cast would be led by Emily Bader and Tom Blyth, I knew that Emily Henry knew how to cast a movie (not that I ever doubted her, of course). And aside from all the conversations surrounding Beach Read casting Phoebe Dynevor and Patrick Schwarzenegger, my biggest question is who's going to be in the Book Lovers cast?
This 2022 story, which follows New York City book editor Nora on a sister trip to mountain North Carolina, is one of my favorite books of all time (and not just because Emily Henry finally confirmed Sunshine Falls is inspired by Black Mountain). Well Charlie Lastra is one of the hottest men Emily's written yet and there are a few guys that would be perfect casting choices.
Here's everything you need to know about Emily Henry's rumored Book Lovers cast.
What's the latest Book Lovers cast rumor?
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A tweet claiming Bridgerton's Simone Ashley and Freakier Friday's Manny Jacinto were in talks for Netflix's Book Lovers went absolutely viral on December 9 (I'm talking 2.5M views viral), and fans went nuts over the idea of pairing these two together.
"FINALLYYYY THE MOVIE LEADS WE NEED," one X user tweeted, while another said, "This casting alone is enough to make me watch."
Now even though I would have loved to see David Corenswet as Charlie (more on that later), I think Simone and Manny would be perfect for this onscreen couple. Both of these stars are the ultimate yearners, and their previous roles only scratched the surface at just how romantic they can be. Plus, they both have the ability to play sharp and rough around the edges (which is totally the first impression of both Nora and Charlie) before shifting to total vulnerability.
This isn't official quite yet but tuned for official casting reports! Other Nora's that have been suggested include Sarah Pidgeon and Saoirse Ronan.
Without further ado, here are 4 other actors that I think could be the perfect Charlie Lastra.
Dònal Finn
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Dònal Finn has absolutely taken over my social media — and I can't stop thinking about this edit of him as Charlie. Whether he's being playful or super serious, his micro-expressions are so good, and I think he'd be able to knock this role out of the park since Charlie can say so much with his face.
Theo James
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Speaking of #serious, tell me Theo James wouldn't be the perfect Charlie. Specifically Theo James with glasses.
David Corenswet
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David Corenswet was the most popular fancast for the role of Charlie over the summer 2025, especially after everyone fell in love with his Superman. He's both serious and a sweetheart, which captures all sides of Charlie's personality.
When asked what she thought about the casting, Emily Henry said, "get him on board and I'm in 💯." THIS IS SO SERIOUS! DAVID PICK UP THE PHONE!
Jonah Hauer-King
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Similarly to David, I think Jonah has the potential to really capture Charlie's multi-faceted nature. As soon as he really gets to know Nora, he starts to open up and is so much friendlier than he was before — and I can see Jonah just doing wonders walking around Sunshine Falls.
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This post has been updated.
