White sandy dunes, red cliffs, warm water, and salty air: This Summer Will Be Different, a series adaptation of Carley Fortune’s bestselling novel, will bring to life idyllic summers spent on Canada’s Prince Edward Island. See stars Sophie Nélisse, Roby Attal, and Francesca Reale on the beachy set above.
Now, Malin Akerman, Megan Follows, Nadine Bhaba, and Matias Lucas will also set sail for the bucolic locale. Keep reading to learn who the actors play, their connections to PEI (and each other), and everything else there is to know about This Summer Will Be Different.
This Summer Will Be Different is a simmering, sun-soaked romance set across multiple summers. The series follows a young woman navigating her 20s and her first real love — with her best friend’s brother, the one person she was never supposed to fall for.
Yes. The Toronto and Prince Edward Island–set series is based on Fortune’s bestselling book by the same name.
“I fell in love with Prince Edward Island first in the pages of L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables and again when I visited with my best friend in my early 20s,” Fortune tells Netflix. “That vacation, the beauty of the island, the warmth of its people, and the friendships that sustain us are the foundation of This Summer Will Be Different. I’m thrilled to bring this sweeping love story to the screen with Netflix and to transport audiences to the glittering shores and windswept beaches of PEI.”
Follows’s casting is especially prescient, as she starred in the PEI-set Anne of Green Gables films in the 80s. And Bhabha, too, makes for a good fit as she reunites with her Heated Rivalry co-star Nélisse.
The 10-episode series will be filmed in Toronto and on PEI.
The series is created by Dane Clark (Suze, One More Time) and Linsey Stewart (Workin’ Moms, North of North). It’s executive produced by Karen Maine, Clark, Stewart, Fortune, and Jennifer Kawaja (Sort Of, Wayward) and Elise Cousineau (Cardinal, Small Achievable Goals) for Sphere Media. Maine (Yes, God, Yes, Nobody Wants This), Jasmin Mozaffari (Ginny & Georgia, Firecrackers), and Fab Filippo (Sort Of, Save Me) direct the 10 episodes.
“When Carley first entrusted us with her captivating book, we knew we had to find the right team to deliver [for] her passionate fan base,” say Danielle Woodrow and Tara Woodbury, directors of content for Netflix Canada. “Developing this project with Dane, Linsey, and Sphere has been a dream, and we couldn’t have found better partners to bring this love letter to both Toronto and Prince Edward Island to the screen.”
This Summer Will Be Different joins Netflix’s growing slate of Canadian originals, including North of North, Wayward, Who Killed the Montreal Expos?, the upcoming The Granville Girls, and more. Since Netflix first launched its Canadian slate in 2025, domestic viewing of Canadian content on the service has grown by almost 20%. Globally, almost 65% of Netflix members watched Canadian content in 2025.
The series comprises 10 episodes.
The new series just kicked off filming on PEI and in Toronto. Stay tuned to Tudum to find out when you too can set sail for Canada.
