Maya Hawke and KJ Apa meet cute in the Hamptons in Audible original romantic comedy “The Summer Oath” — a modern twist on Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labour’s Lost.”
Starring Hawke (“Stranger Things”) and Apa (“Riverdale”), “The Summer Oath” is created, written and directed by Claire Friedman, whose credits include “Saturday Night Live,” “Desus & Mero” and “The Nick Cannon Show.” It’s produced by Broadway Video Enterprises, the company behind “SNL” and other shows. The rom-com premieres April 30 exclusively on Audible (at this link).
Alongside Hawke and Apa, “The Summer Oath” also features an ensemble cast featuring Milly Alcock (“Supergirl,” “Sirens”), Ego Nwodim (“Saturday Night Live”), Alexandra Shipp (“Barbie”), Gavin Casalegno (“The Summer I Turned Pretty”) and Peri Gilpin (“Frasier”).
Hawke portrays a romance novelist who has writer’s block after a breakup. Seeking a reboot, she and her two BFFs (Nwodim and Alcock) decamp to the Hamptons, and the three of them pledge to not get involved in romantic liaisons for the summer (a la the plot of “Love’s Labour’s Lost”). But then her old college flame (Apa) shows up and… things get complicated.
“’The Summer Oath’ was so fun and delicious to work on,” Hawke said in a statement. “Wise and silly and heartwarming and playful.” Apa said, “‘The Summer Oath’ puts a clever spin on classic rom-com tropes. Working alongside this talented cast to bring these characters to life purely through audio has been a unique and rewarding challenge.”
Alcock added: “What drew me to this project was the genuine friendship between these three women. Eloise and her friends’ pact adds such a fun twist. The script is sharp, funny, and like surprisingly touching – I think it will resonate with a lot of people.”
Here’s the logline for “The Summer Oath”: Bestselling romance author Livia Gaines (Hawke) hasn’t written a single usable sentence since her long-term boyfriend blindsided her with a breakup. With her deadline looming and her publisher threatening to cancel her contract, Livia retreats to a secluded Hamptons estate to finish her novel in peaceful isolation joined by her two best friends: Zara (Nwodim) and Eloise (Alcock), who have their own reasons for escaping to the coast.
The trio make a pact: a summer-long vow of absolutely no romantic entanglements. Which is easy enough — until another housesitting group arrives, claiming equal rights to the property. Among the unexpected housemates is Ezra Keats (Apa), the college crush Livia never quite recovered from. As summer temperatures rise and her deadline looms, Livia must navigate her undeniable attraction to Ezra, friends who secretly abandon their promises, and the realization that the most authentic love story she could tell might be the messy, unscripted one she’s living.
“The Summer Oath” is executive produced by Britta von Schoeler and produced by Mark Valdez for Broadway Video.
The title joins the slate of audio-only scripted original comedy series from Audible and Broadway Video, including “Murder at the Patel Motel” starring Maulik Pancholy and Murray Bartlett; “The Good Life” starring Ty Burrell, Jennifer Garner and Colton Dunn; “Headcase” starring Chris Redd; “The Best Man’s Ghostwriter,” starring Glen Powell and Nicholas Braun; NAACP Image Award winner “Stranded,” starring Taraji P. Henson and Tracee Ellis Ross; the “Hot White Heist” series starring Bowen Yang; “Excessive,” starring Chloe Fineman and Joshua Jackson; and “Trust Fall” starring Colin Jost and Wanda Sykes.
