Netflix taps AJ Dungo’s best-selling graphic novel for its next big romance movie
Netflix is turning AJ Dungo’s acclaimed graphic novel into a film, promising a deeply emotional romance with real breakout potential.
The animated take on AJ Dungo’s memoir arrives with a two-step rollout and a clear sense of identity: a small, intimate story headed to the big screen first, then onto streaming. After opening the 2026 Cannes Critics’ Week, the film moves to a U.S. platform release before landing on Netflix, keeping its focus on personal scale even as it reaches a wide audience.
In Waves opens in select theaters November 27 and streams on Netflix December 11.
What it’s about
Based on Dungo’s book, In Waves follows AJ, a shy Los Angeles teen who sketches and skateboards, and Kristen, the joyful surfer he meets at a high school dance. As Kristen pulls AJ into the water, their connection deepens alongside his growing love of surfing.
Their story bends away from a simple teen romance when Kristen develops a serious illness. Dungo’s memoir weaves the couple’s relationship with the culture and history of surfing, using the ocean as an emotional map for love, loss and, ultimately, grief; the book was shaped around his partner’s death from cancer.
Who’s making it
- Director — Phuong Mai Nguyen (feature debut)
- Screenwriters — Fanny Burdino, Samuel Doux
- Source material — AJ Dungo’s graphic memoir
The film blends watercolor-style environments with 3D CG elements to give the imagery a soft, dreamlike motion and let silence and atmosphere carry as much weight as dialogue. The voice cast pairs Stephanie Hsu as Kristen with Will Sharpe as AJ.
Cannes Critics’ Week selected the movie to open its 2026 edition, where its animation and emotional storytelling drew notice before Netflix picked up global rights outside France and slotted it into the streamer’s 2026 animation slate.
In Waves plays select theaters November 27, followed by Netflix on December 11.