Freeform has cast Olivia Holt as a lead in its upcoming series “Cruel Summer” in a recasting.
The Jessica Biel-produced series was previously titled “Last Summer.”
Holt, known for “Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger,” will play Kate, “the embodiment of teenage perfection. Her life is one to be envied until she mysteriously disappears,” according to Freeform’s description. She replaces Mika Abdalla, who played Kate in the pilot.
Here is the description for the series, which was ordered in January:
“The unconventional drama takes place over three summers in the 90s when a beautiful and popular teen goes missing, and a seemingly unrelated girl transforms from a sweet and awkward outlier to the most popular girl in town, eventually becoming the most despised person in America. Each episode is told from alternating POVs.”
Max Winkler (“Jungleland,” “Flower”) will direct and executive produce the project along with Bert V. Royal (“Easy A,” “Recovery Road”), Biel and Purple.
The series is also set to star Chiara Aurelia (“Tell Me Your Secrets”), Mika Abdalla (“Project Mc2”), Michael Landes (“The Liberator”), Froy Gutierrez (“Teen Wolf”), Harley Quinn Smith (“Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”), Allius Barnes (“Unbelievable”), Blake Lee (“Fam”), Nathaniel Ashton (“Mr. Mercedes”) and Brooklyn Sudano (“Taken”).
Deadline was first to report the news of Holt’s casting.