Sofia Alvarez To Adapt And Direct “Along For The Ride;” Emma Pasarow and Belmont Cameli to Star In Lead Roles

Sofia Alvarez will adapt and direct the feature film Along for the Ride, based on the YA novel of the same name from New York Times bestselling author Sarah Dessen, whose books have been translated into 35 languages, with more than 10 million copies in print worldwide. Along for the Ride is also the winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Best YA Fiction.

The summer before college Auden meets the mysterious Eli, a fellow insomniac. While the seaside town of Colby sleeps, the two embark on a nightly quest to help Auden experience the fun, carefree teen life she never knew she wanted. 

Netflix previously optioned three YA novels from Sarah Dessen: “This Lullaby,” “Once and For All” and “Along for the Ride,” which is the first project to be adapted into a feature film. The massive streaming giant also recently optioned Dessen’s most popular and beloved book “The Truth About Forever” which was previously unannounced. 

The film stars Emma Pasarow (Auden), Belmont Cameli (Eli), Kate Bosworth (Heidi),  Laura Kariuki (Maggie) with Andie MacDowell (Victoria) and Dermot Mulroney (Robert). The cast also includes Genevieve Hannelius (Leah), Samia Finnerty (Esther), Paul Karmiyran (Adam), Marcus Scribner (Wallace) and Ricardo Hurtado (Jake).

Screen Arcade’s Alyssa Rodrigues; Sian McArthur; and Erika Hampson serve as executive producers. The film is penned by Alvarez as well.

This will be Sofia Alvarez’s feature directorial debut. Along for the Ride will be filmed in North Carolina.