Fake Skating

*Fake Skating* is an upcoming American comedy-romance film based on Lynn Painter’s young-adult novel of the same name. Sony Pictures and Columbia Pictures announced the adaptation in 2026, with Josh Boone directing. The film is scheduled for release in the United States on July 16, 2027, and is being developed by Columbia Pictures and Olive Bridge Entertainment. ([thewrap.com](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/sony-fake-skating-josh-boone/?utm_source=openai))

The story follows Dani and Alec, childhood sweethearts who were inseparable when they were young. Their friendship included ordinary but memorable adventures, from playground dates to sneaking into movie theaters. Dani eventually moved away, separating the pair and leaving their childhood connection in the past. Years later, she returns to her Minnesota hometown expecting to reconnect with the boy she remembers as familiar, kind, and comforting.

Alec, however, has changed. He is now a star hockey player in a community where hockey carries enormous social importance and successful players are treated almost like local royalty. Dani’s image of the thoughtful boy from her childhood conflicts with Alec’s teenage reputation, creating the central tension of their reunion. Their relationship becomes even more complicated when circumstances lead them to pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend. What begins as a fake romance gradually exposes feelings that neither of them has completely left behind. ([imdb.com](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt40424282/plotsummary/?utm_source=openai))

The film’s premise combines several recognizable elements of the source novel: a second-chance romance, a hometown shaped by hockey culture, and the “fake dating” arrangement that forces two emotionally complicated people into close proximity. The title refers to the contrast between performance and genuine emotion. Dani and Alec initially act as though they are together, but the arrangement makes it increasingly difficult to separate their public role from their private feelings.

Josh Boone is directing and is also involved in revisions with writing partner Knate Lee. The screenplay is credited to Victoria Bata, Morgan Lehmann, Boone, and Lee, while Lynn Painter is attached as an executive producer. Will Gluck and Jacqueline Monetta are producing, with Madison Jones also serving as an executive producer. At the time of the announcement, the project had no publicly confirmed cast and remained in development or pre-production. ([imdb.com](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt40424282/fullcredits/?utm_source=openai))

Because *Fake Skating* has not yet been released, there are no verified performances, reviews, audience reactions, or completed production details to assess. Its confirmed identity currently rests on its source novel, its Minnesota hockey setting, its childhood-sweethearts storyline, and the announced creative team guiding the adaptation.