If you were searching high and low for your next rom-com watch, the search is over. Enter: Netflix’s Forever, an adaptation of Judy Blume’s 1975 novel of the same name that puts Black love at the forefront.
In April of 2024, Netflix announced that star producer Mara Brock Akil, known for her work on anything from Girlfriends to Moesha, had been tapped to reimagine Blume’s best-selling story for the small screen as executive producer and showrunner. (Regina King is also on board as an executive producer and will also serve as director for the first episode.)
According to Brock Akil, the upcoming show will examine “the idea of your first love being with you forever,” and it will do so by telling the story of two Black teens in 2018 Los Angeles.
“I’m honoured to reimagine one of my favourite books, Forever,” Brock Akil told Tudum when the project was first announced. “Judy Blume’s ability to capture the real emotions we experience during the various rites of passage of our youth influenced my life choices and writing voice.”
If that alone has piqued your interest, buckle up because we finally have our first look at Netflix’s Forever adaptation. Keep reading for everything we know so far about the show.
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Does Netflix’s Forever adaptation have a release date?
On March 5, Netflix officially announced that Forever will premiere on May 8, 2025.
What will Netflix’s Forever be about?
Netflix’s official synopsis for Forever is as follows: “Judy Blume’s ground-breaking 1975 novel, Forever, is being reimagined for a new generation by Mara Brock Akil. It’s an epic love story of two Black teens exploring romance and their identities through the awkward journey of being each other’s firsts, set in Los Angeles, 2018.”
“I’ve always credited Judy Blume as part of the seasoning of my voice as a writer,” Brock Akil told Tudum. “She was one of the first writers I read that dared to be honest about the human condition in young people and you can see traces of her writing style within my own. What better metaphor for this love story than what L.A. represents, for not only me, but a lot of people. L.A. is a place for dreamers, and chasing dreams is no different than chasing love, it comes with the highs, the lows, the epic and the intimate.”
Who is in the cast of Netflix’s Forever?
Forever will star Lovie Simone and Michael Cooper Jr. in the titular roles of Keisha Clark and Justin Edwards. Keisha is described as “a young, confident, smart, and fiery track star with clear dreams for life after high school,” while Justin is “a nerd at heart disguised in an athlete’s body” who “dreams of playing D1 basketball and achieving more than his successful parents.”
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Additional casting includes Karen Pittman as Justin’s strict but loving mother, Dawn, and Wood Harris as Justin’s restaurateur father, Eric. Marvin Lawrence Winans III brings Justin’s younger brother Jaden to life.
