Shortly after The Kissing Booth 2 dropped on Netflix in July, it was revealed that not only would there be a third film in the series, but that it had already been filmed. Fans excitedly let out a collective squeee, until they realized the third installment wouldn't be released until 2021. It's almost fall, though, and that means that 2021 is right around the corner β and we can totally let ourselves get excited about it again. Realistically, it probably won't come out until next summer, but who cares? We need something to look forward to!
One cool thing about The Kissing Booth films is that, since the second and third movies were filmed at the same time, there are already a bunch of fun facts and details about the making of all of the movies. There's no reason we can't get your fix of teenage drama before the next movie comes out.
We also happen to think that because the sequels were filmed simultaneously without any gap in the momentum, the third will likely be just as good and fun to watch as the first and second. But back to the facts. Superfans, keep reading to find out everything there is to know about the hit film trilogy The Kissing Booth.
Book No. 3 Is Based on the Movie
Fans may or may not know that The Kissing Booth is based on a novel by author Beth Reekles. The first book came out before the first movie, the second book came out before the second movie. But after the first and second books, the third book will be released in conjunction with the third film's release β based on the film instead of the other way around.
The Author Wrote the Story When She Was 15
Beth, who is now in her 20s, wrote the novel that spawned The Kissing Booth films in 2011 when she was 15 years old β using the app Wattpad. Netflix picked up on its potential in 2016, after it hit over 19 million views on Wattpad, and she landed a print publishing deal.
That's Not California
Believe it or not, the movies were not filmed in California where they are set. In fact, they weren't even filmed in the US. According to the author, The Kissing Booth films were mostly shot in Cape Town, South Africa, with just a few select scenes shot in Los Angeles.
Joey King & Jacob Elordi Dated in Real Life .... & Broke Up After the First Movie
Most fans already know that Joey King and Jacob Elordi, who plays Noah, dated for over a year in real life. But they were private about their relationship, so a lot of people haven't realized that they actually called it quits before they worked on the second and third movies. We can only imagine that, whether it was forced or not, their split was a friendly one.
Filming Together β Pretending to Be a Couple β Was ... Interesting
While the former couple did keep details to themselves, Joey has talked about the challenges of filming together after their split. "No one's thinking to themselves, 'that was easy,' because it wasn't," she told Cosmopolitan in an interview that was published after the second movie was released.
There May Have Been Another On-Set Flirtation
Early in September, keen eyes noticed that Taylor Zakhar Perez β who plays Marco in The Kissing Booth 2 β was actually flirting with Joey on Instagram. He shared some pictures of himself swimming in a lake, and Joey commented that the water looked cold. Taylor's reply seems to suggest that perhaps their chemistry goes beyond the screen.
Joel Courtney Does His Own Stunts ... Except for One
Joel, who plays Lee, says he enjoys doing his own stunts … but that crazy scene β when he jumps from the balcony into the pool? That was totally a stunt double. The jump looked unbelievable, so we're not at all surprised they had to call in a professional to make it happen without anyone getting seriously injured.
Joey Was Completely Bald During Filming
Some viewers may have noticed that Joey's hair looked just a little off in The Kissing Booth 2, and that's because she actually had to wear a wig. Her natural hair was full and lush in the first film, but between filming the first and second movies, she shaved her head completely bald for a role on Hulu's The Act. Her tresses weren't quite back to their previous lengths when it came time to film again, so she wore a wig.
Joey Secretly Filmed a Scene She Later Hurled in Off Camera
Filming a movie often requires a lot of takes, and when those takes involve say, eating burgers again and again β until the scene is just right β it's probably not so easy on the tummy. Joey King admitted that she was so full after filming the scene, where Elle and Lee are eating burgers on the grass, that while she was filming the soccer scene immediately afterwards, she hurled.
Jacob Looked to Ex Joey During an Emotional Scene
Apparently not much of a crier, on the blooper reel from the second movie, Jacob can be seen admitting that to bring on the tears in the airport scene, he watched a slideshow of old photos of him and Joey. There's even a legit image of them slightly visible on his phone. That's totally sweet and heartbreaking at the same time.
Jacob Learned How to Ride a Motorcycle for the Role
Word has it that rather than opting to use a stunt double for all of the motorcycle scenes in The Kissing Booth, Jacob learned how to ride. "On the set of The Kissing Booth, I learned how to ride a motorbike and have been obsessed since," he told Just Jared Jr.
Joey Was Destined to Play Elle
Though this tidbit hasn't been confirmed by Joey, rumor has it that she didn't have to audition for the film. Joey said she read the script and asked her reps to set up an audition, but they told her she had actually already been offered the role. Joey has been acting since she was a kid and had already been in tons of movies and TV shows at that point, so it's definitely possible.
The Author Has Something in Common With Elle & Lee
One super weird and totally coincidental behind-the-scenes fact about The Kissing Booth is that while we all know that Elle and Lee have the same birthday, their birthday in the movies is actually the same day as the author's birthday. Even more amusing? It wasn't planned!
Those Dance Dance Revolution Scenes? Yeah, Not Easy
Joey and Joel weren't perfectly in sync Dance Dance Revolution players when they landed the roles of Elle and Lee. It took tons of practice for them to get that good β we're talking hours and hours each day. It was probably a good workout, and with these two involved, we bet it was loads of fun.
Taylor Had No Idea What He Was Auditioning For
Hottie Taylor (don't worry, he's 28) didn't know he was trying out for The Kissing Booth movies when he showed up for his audition. Actually, no one did. Apparently, the script was sent out as an "untitled Vince Marcello project," and all of the character names had been changed.
'Kissing Booth 2' Is Taylor's First Feature Film
The kicker? The Kissing Booth 2 is the first feature film he's ever been in! He's appeared in a bunch of shows β including Scandal, iCarly, a couple of shorts, and a made-for-TV movie β but not a feature film. While we don't yet see another feature film on tap for him, we bet once film productions pick back up next year, the scripts will be rolling in.
Taylor Can Add a New Skill to His Resume
Although his character, Marco, was pegged as the dreamy guitarist, Taylor never played guitar before he got the role. He had to practice for hours each day to learn how to play well enough to be convincing in his role. Taylor did say he grew up playing piano, so he had some musical experience.
One of the Main Stars Is an Executive Producer
Joey garnered herself an executive producer credit on The Kissing Booth 2, thanks to all of her insightful ideas and observations about what would appeal to the film's target demographic. She's also co-produced a film titled Camp that hasn't been released yet, so it may be something we see more from her in the future.
