Madelaine Petsch (The Strangers) and Gavin Casalegno (The Summer I Turned Pretty) have signed on to star in the young adult romance Chasing Red. Production will begin in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, in early 2026.
The film is based on the 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).
The story follows straight-A student Veronica (Petsch), who refuses to be college heartthrob Caleb’s (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.
Mister Smith Entertainment is handling international sales and has completed 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.
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, she directed her first feature film, Salvation, starring Skeet Ulrich, Claire Forlani, Ashley Moore, Theo Rossi, and Thomas Jane. She also runs her own production banner, Take a Trip.
