Netflix is positioning this as a victory for creator-owned content, showcasing how podcast personalities can successfully transition into traditional publishing and film. Averick's 'authentic voice' is being framed as the key asset.
Sources say multiple streamers fought hard for this project, but Netflix moved fast and closed before publication — a strategic play to lock in rising talent before competitors could react. This signals Averick isn't just a podcast personality anymore.
Book released May 26, 2026; spent two weeks on NYT bestseller list. Deal closed ahead of publication, brokered by UTA. Elizabeth Cantillon previously EVP at Sony overseeing James Bond franchise and 'The Social Network.' Sarah Heyward currently co-executive producer on Netflix's 'Nobody Wants This' Season 3.
Netflix just made a calculated bet that Brooke Averick is more than a podcast co-host — she's a literary-to-screen powerhouse in the making. Watch this one closely.
Netflix has officially entered the Brooke Averick era, and sources say it's been a long time coming. The streaming giant landed the film rights to "Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It" following what insiders describe as a "highly competitive bidding war" — the kind of language that usually signals studios were genuinely terrified of missing out. The deal closed ahead of the novel's publication on May 26, which means Netflix essentially bought this thing blind and still fought tooth-and-nail for it.
That's not nothing. The book, Averick's debut novel, has spent two weeks on the New York Times bestseller list since its release last month. Not too shabby for a first-time novelist who most people probably know as "that podcast girl." But here's where it gets interesting: the official plot description reads like calculated comfort food for Netflix's core demographic — a protagonist with intimacy anxiety, best friends who are "supportive and hilarious," romance novels at her fingertips, and a literal checklist to lose her virginity.
It's giving "rom-com renaissance" and it's giving exactly what studios are paying premium prices for right now. Behind the scenes, this project comes loaded with serious Hollywood credibility. Elizabeth Cantillon — producer on the upcoming "The Nightingale" adaptation starring Elle and Dakota Fanning for TriStar Pictures, plus Amazon's "The Love Hypothesis" — is attached to produce.
Previously, Cantillon was an executive vice president at Sony where she oversaw films including the James Bond franchise, "The Social Network," "Captain Phillips," and "Eat Pray Love." That's not a résumé you hand over lightly. The script comes from Sarah Heyward, who wrote "Book Lovers" for Tango Entertainment and is currently serving as co-executive producer on Netflix's "Nobody Wants This" Season 3 while also writing "Sweet Valley High" for Paramount+.
These aren't newcomers — they're the kind of talent that signals a project has legs. And then there's Averick herself, who boasts more than 1.5 million followers across social media platforms and co-hosts TMG Studios' "Brooke and Connor Make a Podcast" alongside Connor Wood. She previously hosted the solo podcast "Obsessed with Brooke Averick" before pivoting to the collaboration format that built her mainstream following.
Now she's executive producing a Netflix film based on her own debut novel, with representation from UTA. The deal was brokered by the agency on her behalf — and if you know anything about how Hollywood works, having UTA in your corner this early means you've already won half the battle. The real question isn't whether "Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It" will get made.
With this cast of producers, this screenwriter, and Netflix's full backing, it's basically a guaranteed greenlight. The question is what Brooke Averick does next — because if her debut novel can pull off two weeks on the bestseller list before its film adaptation even starts production, she's not just a podcast personality anymore. She's a multi-platform creative force that studios are now fighting to lock down.
