Deadline has exclusively learned that filmmaker Castille Landon, who is currently in post-production on the third and fourth After films After We Fell and After Ever Happy, will return as the franchise’s director for the new feature prequel and sequel. Landon will also write the newest films.

Based on the Anna Todd YA novel series, the After films first published on the successful independent digital publishing website Wattpad, a global entertainment company and the world’s leading viral storytelling platform. After receiving over 1.5 billion reads before becoming an international best-selling novel.

The series follows Tessa (Josephine Langford) and Hardin (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) and their rocky relationship.

The prequel will follow a young Hardin as he navigates his first love. The events of these formative years form the foundation of the trouble but passionate Hardin that we encounter in the current After films.

The sequel will focus on the next generation of the After universe, as Tessa and Hardin’s children Emery, Auden, and their cousin Addy tackle the tumultuous seas of growing up while attempting not to repeat their parents’ mistakes from many years before.

Both films will be shot concurrently this fall.

“Seeing After We Fell and After Ever Happy come together in the edit has inspired us to continue expanding the universe, exploring the origins of the characters we already know and love, and giving life to the next generation. I’m excited to have the opportunity to broaden the relatable themes already established in the series and introduce Hardin and Tessa’s teenage children to a modern landscape,” said Landon.

The third installment, After We Fall, is expected to be released worldwide in 2021.