It’s a great day to be a romance lover, because it has recently been announced thatthe CWwill be adapting six Harlequin romance novels into original primetime movies. Harlequin has been a leading publisher of romance novels for decades, and they’ve shown no signs of slowing down, especially as the genre continues to dominate the book market. Fans of cowboy romance books especially have reason to be excited, as one of the CW’s Harlequin adaptations will be of the belovedMontana Mavericksseries.
PerVariety,in addition toMontana Mavericks, the other CW Harlequin romance adaptations include:Ordinary Girl in a Tiara,Paws in the City,Recipe for Romance,Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell, andSecond Guessing Fate. Prior to its debut on the CW this autumn, the network has partnered with Fathom Entertainment to releaseMontana Mavericksin select U.S. theaters August 26-27.Montana Maverickswill be the first of the CW’s Harlequin adaptations, and the other five will air on primetime only. Learn more about the movies below:
Montana Mavericks
Katherine McNamara, Dennis Andres, Linda Kee, Kaya Coleman
New York City writer Heather inherits a Montana ranch and sparks fly with the cowboy veterinarian next door.
Ordinary Girl in a Tiara
Katharine King, Kathryn Gallagher
Recently dumped, Caro Cartwright agrees to help her childhood nemesis turned heiress, prompting the two to learn about each other and themselves.
Paws in the City
Emeraude Toubia, Carter Jenkins
Disgraced social media manager Issa gets a job caring for a dog named Camila, only to win over Camila’s temperamental owner.
Recipe for Romance
True O’Brien, Alex Mallari Jr.
In a rivals-to-lovers story, Sari finds herself in a heated prank war with a charming baker when he opens a bakery next to her family’s coffee shop.
Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell
Amber Riley, Dorian Grey, Nadine Whiteman, Malaika Hennie-Hamadi
Burnt out Savvy Sheldon decides to renovate the kitchen she inherited from her grandmother and strikes up a romance with her contractor
Second Guessing Fate
Danielle Panabaker, Corey Sevier, Brendan Morgan
Event planner Gemma is done with romance when a fortune teller predicts she will find true love after her next horrible date — which is exactly what happens.
What The Harlequin Romance Movies Mean For The CW
The CW Is Broadening Their Audience By Going After Romance Fans
Those who stepped away from the CW during itsArrowverse-focused era of the 2010smay wish to revisit the network following this six-movie adaptation deal with Harlequin. Following Nexstar’s 2022 acquisition of the CW, the network has doubled down on broadening its audience. The CW’s head of scripted and unscripted content, Heather Olander, said of the Harlequin deal, “The CW has been building a passionate weekend audience of movie lovers, andthis new slate of original films is for romance fans everywhere. These feel-good stories, inspired by hugely successful blockbuster Harlequin novels, are the perfect blend of nostalgia and escapism.”
The CW’s decision to also giveMontana Mavericksa theatrical release also speaks to its faith in these Harlequin adaptations to have mass appeal.
The CW’s decision to also giveMontana Mavericksa theatrical release also speaks to its faith in these Harlequin adaptations to have mass appeal. Olander continued, “…thanks to our exciting partnership with Fathom Entertainment,we’re thrilled to bring these films to the big screen first—giving fans the chance to laugh, swoon, and fall in love, together in theaters this summer.” But with these movies, the network hasn’t forgotten its roots, as they star several CW veterans, including Katherine McNamara (Walker: Independence), Kathryn Gallagher (Gossip Girl), and Danielle Panabaker (The Flash).
With Harlequin’s enormous popularity,these six movies already come with a devoted built-in fanbase for the CW, who have never gotten to see their favorite romance stories adapted for the screen. Harlequin executive vice president and publisher Brent Lewis echoed this sentiment, saying, “This is an exciting opportunity to tell the incredible stories of our authors in a new medium to millions of Harlequin fans and new audiences alike.”
Our Take On The CW’s Six-Harlequin Movie Deal
The Network Sees How Popular Romance Is
Be it books, movies, or television, the romance genre isn’t taken nearly as seriously as it should, which is ridiculous considering how beloved the genre is by so many people. Butone group that’s certainly embracing romance is the streaming platforms, and the CW seems ready to compete. After all, last year, Netflix went all in on Christmas romance movies, and they’ve also released several rom-com film franchises, likeTo All the BoysandThe Kissing Booth. Then there are their wildly successful romance shows, fromBridgertontoNobody Wants This.
It’s refreshing for us romance fans to seethe CW going all in on romance with this Harlequin deal, especially with their theatrical release ofMontana Mavericks. It’s becoming rarer and rarer for romance movies to be given theatrical releases, and while it’s great that streamers are constantly releasing new entries in the genre, many of us want to see our favorite swoon-worthy stories on the big screen. The CW knows that romance is here to stay, and hopefully these Harlequin movies will get their happily ever after in terms of viewership numbers.
