'Riverdale','Arrowverse' producer directs latest YA movie 'Love, Simon'

MANILA, Philippines— Acclaimed filmmaker Greg Berlanti, the force behind the most inventive and acclaimed works in film and television and who has been credited with being at the forefront of introducing gay characters and storylines into mainstream entertainment helms the upcoming funny and heartfelt coming-of-age story about the thrilling ride of finding yourself and falling in love in “Love, Simon."

Berlanti is best known for his work in The CW’s “Arrow,” “The Flash,” DC’s “Legends of Tomorrow,” and “Supergirl,” collectively referred to as The CW’s “Arrowverse.”

Additionally, Berlanti serves as executive producer on The CW’s “Riverdale,” “Black Lightning,” and NBC’s “Blindspot.” He started in television as a staff writer on the hit show “Dawson’s Creek” where he was promoted to showrunner by his second year on the series. 

“Love, Simon” was adapted from Becky Albertalli’s young adult novel “Simon vs The Homo Sapien’s Agenda.”

 Published in January 2012, the book won the William C. Morris Award for Best Young Adult Debut of the Year and was included in the National Book Award Longlist.

The movie stars today’s up and coming exciting young actors Nick Robinson (“Everything, Everything”), Katherine Langford (“13 Reasons Why”), Alexandra Shipp (X-Men: Apocalypse), Logan Miller (“Before I Fall”), Jorge Lendeborg Jr. (“Alita: Battle Angel”) and Keiynan Lonsdale (“The Flash”) along with award-winning Jennifer Garner and versatile actor Josh Duhamel.

Directed by Berlanti, with a screenplay by Elizabeth Berger & Isaac Aptaker, “Love, Simon” finds 17-year-old Simon Spier in a love story that is a little more complicated than the ordinary teen: he’s yet to tell his family or friends he’s gay and he doesn’t actually know the identity of the anonymous classmate he’s fallen for online.

Resolving both issues proves hilarious, terrifying and life-changing not just for him but also those around him.

Producers Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen have become adept at recognizing literature that is ideal for screen adaptation. Having produced the phenomenally successful Twilight series and the adaptations of The Fault in Our Stars and The Longest Ride, they saw the big screen potential of Albertalli’s story.

“We produce a lot of movies in the young adult space,” says Godfrey.

 “Every time, you're trying to find something new and different and fresh that feels like it hasn't been done before. And fundamentally, we'd never seen a high school romantic comedy with a gay teenage lead.  And so that was the thing with the book: we all read it and said, ‘Oh my God, nobody's done this,’” he added.

Godfrey said  nobody's just unabashedly openly made a movie about a kid that's going through the process that every gay individual goes through of figuring out their identity and when they should come out. 

He added that nobody played it against this great, mysterious, evolving romance. 

“With this anonymous guy online. And the book was hilarious. And the character of Simon was such a winning, lovable, kind of embraceable character that we thought it was worth developing,” Godfrey said.

 “Love, Simon” opens in Philippine cinemas on May 9. The film is from 20th Century Fox.