After winning over millions of readers with After, Anna Todd returns to the spotlight with a new adaptation destined to get people talking. Prime Video has in fact released the first trailer for The Last Sunrise, the film based on the American author's novel of the same name, arriving on August 26 on the platform. And just over 2 minutes of footage are enough to understand that this time the tone will be very different: fewer destructive passions and a story that seems to want to celebrate the value of the present and the courage to live every moment to the fullest.
Anna Todd's new adaptation is very different from After
If After told the story of an intense, toxic relationship full of constant ups and downs, The Last Sunrise instead seems to embrace a completely different philosophy. At the center of the story is Ry (Maia Reficco), an American student with a chronic illness who spends the summer in Mallorca with her mother, played by Eva Longoria.
It is right here that she meets Juliàn (Fernando Lindez), a local boy who teaches her to savor every moment without letting herself be paralyzed by fear of the future. The trailer strongly emphasizes the concept of carpe diem: living in the present, even when you know that everything could end too soon. A theme that makes the film much closer to the melancholic romances of recent years than to After’s style of toxic love stories.
Naturally, there couldn’t be a story without some conflict. Although Ry and Juliàn seem to find a special connection right away, their respective families end up getting in the way. Juliàn's family owns some historic docks in Mallorca, while Ry's family wants to buy them to build a large hotel complex. The love between the two protagonists thus turns into something much more complicated than a simple summer story. On one side there is the desire to live in the present, on the other the weight of the adults' choices and family secrets destined to change everything.
This time Anna Todd is personally involved, and at her side is a face we already know very well
One of the most interesting aspects of the project concerns Anna Todd herself. The author did not simply grant the rights to the novel, but is among the film's producers, following its development much more closely than happened with the final After films.
In recent years, Todd has spoken enthusiastically about this adaptation, suggesting that she feels it is particularly close to her own vision. A detail that could reassure the most devoted readers, who are always very attentive when a novel comes to the screen.
For fans of adaptations, there is also an already familiar face. Fernando Lindez, who plays Julián. We already got to know him as Thiago in Tell Me Softly, the first chapter of the Dímelo trilogy by Mercedes Ron. Prime Video therefore seems to be focusing more and more on a new generation of actors specializing in romance, building a universe of adaptations that speaks directly to BookTok readers.
Why it could also win over fans of My Fault
Although it tells a completely different story, The Last Sunrise shares many elements that have made sagas like My Fault so beloved. There is the Mediterranean setting, an intense love story, families clashing, secrets destined to change the protagonists' fate, and bright cinematography that turns Mallorca into a true character in the film.
The difference is that here the focus seems to be less on drama and more on emotion. In fact, the trailer hints at a sweet and melancholy romance that speaks to the fragility of life and the importance of seizing every moment. A sort of Me Before You, but more teen-oriented. And if it lives up to the promise of the first images, The Last Sunrise could become one of the most surprising romantic adaptations of the summer.
