This isn’t a drill, it’s official: Kennedy Ryan’s adaptation of her wildly popular second-chance romance novel Before I Let Go has casted Teyonah Parris and Danielle Brooks. Parris will take on the role of the novel’s lead female character Yasmin Wade and Brooks has secured the role of Hendrix Barry. Book lovers everywhere are rejoicing in the news as it marks not only an exciting development for fans of Ryan’s writing, but also movement in the series’ television production.
Ryan has previously mentioned in interviews that when writing the character of Yasmin Wade, she envisioned a Teyonah Parris-type actress to bring the project to life. Parris and Brooks have already taken to social media to celebrate their success and further confirm their parts in the upcoming Peacock project.
Ryan first shared the news of Peacock’s order for the series with sister duo and From Scratch creators Attica and Tembi Locke as showrunners with Malcolm D. Lee, who is known for projects like The Best Man film franchise, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, and Girls Trip as the director in September. Attica and Tembi
The excitement in the announcement post oozed through the screen and lit the literary timeline on fire with the news. This new development serves as the icing on the cake for the renowned authoress who’s well-loved for her knack of writing nuanced romance while not shying away from serious topics like autism, mental health, and grief. The novel, Before I Let Go is book one of the Skyland series and is followed by two more books; This Could Be Us and Can’t Get Enough. Each installment follows one of the three women that makeup the trio of Yasmin, Soledad, and Hendrix but their stories remained intertwined as they support each other through the various obstacles life offers. What makes the books even more special is that each made the New York Times Bestseller list, respectively.
As an avid reader and proud Kennedy Ryan stan, my excitement is boiling over. Witnessing Ryan keep her readers in the loop of each stage of production has been fulfilling. Hollywood has a reputation of moving slowly, but the Ryan effect is undeniable.