Jenna Evans Welch’s ‘Love & Gelato’ Adaptation Headed to Netflix in June 2022

Netflix will adapt Love & Gelato, a romance novel by Jenna Evans Welch. The filming is complete and will be released worldwide in June 2022. Here’s a very early look at what we know so far about the upcoming film.

Love & gelato was first published May 2016. Jenna Evans Welch is also known for Spells For Lost Things and subsequent books to Love & Gelato. Love & Luck, Love & Olives are two of those follow-ups.

Here’s the GoodReads description for the first of the three books which gives us a good indication of what we can expect from the movie:

“Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is go back home.

But then she is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires her, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept for far too long. It’s a secret that will change everything she knew about her mother, her father—and even herself.

People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more.”

In April 2022, we were the first to unveil Love & Gelato. Netflix included the film in their Summer 2022 unveil along with a first glimpse:

Love & Gelato – Picture: Netflix

In addition to the initial look, Love & Gelato will be available on Netflix starting June 22, 2022.

Who’s behind Love & Gelato on Netflix and who’s starring in it?

Brandon Camp will be writing and directing the feature film.

Camp is best-known for producing and directing the 2018 remake of Benji, which was exclusively released by Netflix. He’s also been involved with projects such as 2009’s Love Happens (which was produced by Netflix’s Scott Stuber) and also wrote 2002’s fantasy drama Dragon Fly from Universal Pictures.

Director Brandon Camp attends the premiere of Netflix’s “Benji”

In terms of cast, Robin Tunney (most known for The Craft and more recently Netflix’s Horse Girl) will play the role of Hadley Emerson.

Howard will be played by Owen McDonnell, the Killing Eve actor.

Anjelika Washington (known for Netflix’s Tall Girl) will play Addie

Valentina Lodovini will be playing Francesca. Susanna Skaggs and Lina Emerson will each play Lina Emerson. Tera Hendrickson is playing a priest.

The IMDb page has more information about the cast.

Anjelika Washington posted numerous photos while in Italy throughout the summer of 2021 with Jenna Evan Welch (the author the book) commenting that it’s her “absolute favorite spot in the entire world”.

According to the Toscana Movie Commission Facebook page, filming was done in Tuscany (specifically Florence), from June 2021 until July 2021. It is stated (translated in Italian):

“After the TV series La Casa di Carta and the #SixUnderground movie, Netflix is coming back to Florence!

Today is the last day of filming the TV series “Love&Gelato” of #JennaEvansWelch taken from the namesake best seller.

It’s the story of an American girl who, after her mother’s death, comes to Florence to meet her father she’s never met.

Director Brandon Camp has decided to recount Florence through its most famous monuments and the most typical settings, from the small streets, to the local markets, from the Cathedral to the Boboli Garden.”

That’s all we have on Netflix’s Love & Gelato adaptation so far, we’ll keep you posted as and when we learn more.