Gavin Casalegno is entering his wrestling era.
“The Summer I Turned Pretty” actor has joined director Ash Avildsen’s “Queen of the Ring,” his reps confirmed to Variety. “Queen of the Ring” follows the story of WWE Hall of Fame-inducted wrestler Mildred Burke, a world champion who broke glass ceilings throughout the course of her career from the 1930s through the 1950s.
Casalegno will play the teenage version of Joe, Burke’s son. The cast also reportedly includes Emily Bett Richards (“Arrow”) and Josh Lucas (“Ford v Ferrari”) as Burke and her husband and business manager, Billy Wolfe. Marie Avgeropoulos (“The 100”) and WWE’s Charlotte Flair and Liv Morgan also star in the film. Avildsen (“Paradise City,” “American Satan”) will direct based on a script he penned. The film is inspired by Jeff Leen’s book of the same name.
Jim Ross, Aimee Schoof and Isen Robbins serve as producers on the film. Production began on June 12.
Following his roles on “Vampire Diaries,” “Walker” and Darren Aronofsky’s “Noah,” Casalegno starred as Jeremiah Fisher in Amazon’s “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” the coming-of-age television show based on Jenny Han’s bestselling young adult novels. The adolescent drama earned a Season 2 renewal before it premiered and landed in the top slot on the streaming service when it debuted in June 2022. Three episodes of Season 2 will launch on July 14, followed by weekly episode releases until the season finale on Aug. 18.
Casalegno is repped by UTA, Luber Roklin Entertainment, Skrzyniarz & Mallean and Vision PR.