Filming Begins on ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Movie as Fans Told to Avoid Set Visits

Filming has officially started on the Summer I Turned Pretty movie, and excitement is running high. But along with that excitement comes a clear message to fans: enjoy the moment, just not too close.

Before season three of the Prime Video series premiered last summer, the platform asked fans to “keep the conversation kind” and avoid harassing the cast online. Now, with the movie in production, they are asking for something similar, this time focused on real-world behavior.

On Tuesday, May 5, Prime Video shared a new reminder after videos from the set began spreading across social media. The clips showed stars Lola Tung, Christopher Briney, and Gavin Casalegno filming scenes.

The show’s official account posted a simple message written in the sand: “privacy please.” The caption explained, “We love the excitement, but sharing locations and visiting set disrupts filming and creates real safety concerns for our cast and crew.”

It continued, “We’re working hard to create a protected bubble to make the best movie possible,” and added, “Please help us protect the magic of Cousins until it’s ready to be shared.”

Author Jenny Han also shared the message and added her own thoughts about what happens when fans show up at the set.

“When people come to set, film, and share videos, it disrupts the work. It makes it harder for actors to get into character and causes unnecessary anxiety for them. We often have to stop production to clear crowds from the shot, which breaks the crew's focus,” she wrote.

“This story means a lot to me, and I know it means a lot to you, too. I want to give you the best version of this movie. Please help protect our process.”

Back in September, Prime Video announced that the story would end with a movie instead of a third season, which surprised many fans.

“There is another big milestone left in Belly’s journey, and I thought only a movie could give it its proper due. I’m so grateful to Prime Video for continuing to support my vision for this story and for making it possible to share this final chapter with the fans," Han said in a press release.

She later explained that ending with a movie had always been her plan. “I knew that's what I wanted to do, and I knew that it was going to take a beat to put everything into place,” she said. “I feel like there [are] still some more things that the audience wants to see, and I wanted to deliver that to them in a bigger way than [just] wrapping up at the end of the season.”

Details about the movie are still mostly under wraps. Still, fans have spotted cast members like Lola Tung, Christopher Briney, Gavin Casalegno, Sean Kaufman, and Rain Spencer filming in North Carolina.

At the time of the announcement, even the stars did not know much about what would happen next. “I was always playing Conrad with sort of this being the end,” Briney told PEOPLE. “I mean, I read the books, and I was like, 'The last chapter, this is where we leave those characters.' So I don't know [what to expect].”

The season three finale ended on a big moment. Belly finally chose between Conrad and Jeremiah, and the last scene showed her and Conrad walking into the Cousins Beach house holding hands.

But that was not a full ending. As Tung said, the finale showed “the beginning of their happy relationship, but there's a lot of unfinished business with Jeremiah, and even Steven and Taylor.”

“There's so much to explore,” she added, while Briney pointed out there is “a lot unaddressed” between the brothers.

The movie is expected to arrive in 2027. Until then, fans can stay excited, just from a respectful distance, so the cast and crew can finish telling the story the right way.