A Netflix series partially shot on the Vineyard is set to come out early next month.

Forever, an eight-episode series based on Judy Blume’s novel of the same title, is being released May 8. The last episode of the series was filmed on the Vineyard last spring. 

Last May, film crews were working all over the Island, from Circuit avenue in Oak Bluffs to the Steamship Authority terminal in Vineyard Haven. An open casting call was held, allowing numerous Vineyarders to be chosen as extras. 

The Vineyard episode was directed by seasonal resident Mara Brock Akil. She is also the show-runner and executive producer. 

The show is a modern take on Ms. Blume’s story, published in 1975. In an interview with the Gazette last year, Ms. Brock Akil said she sought to bring the story into the present and feature Black protagonists. Ms. Brock Akil also wanted to incorporate the Island’s rich Black history into the filming process.

“This place is special, but it’s uniquely special to Black families,” she said. “It’s a place where our children can experience freedom and independence, to have a chance for them to run around as little kids and to be around town by themselves to socialize and meet each other.”

Ms. Blume is a longtime seasonal resident and is an executive producer for the project. Forever depicts young love and first experiences. On the origins of the book, she wrote on her website: “My daughter Randy asked for a story about two nice kids who have sex without either of them having to die.”