Sure, the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t the first franchise that comes to mind when considering the upcoming release of Prime Video’s steamy gay rom-com Red, White & Royal Blue, but according to the movie’s director Matthew López, the R-rated flick will share a specific trait the superhero franchise has popularized in modern cinema.
After nearly 15 years, MCU moviegoers have become trained to hang back in their seats after the end credits roll, knowing they will receive a special treat or two (or five) in the form of a post-credits scene. Eager viewers tuning in to Red, White, & Royal Blue this weekend would be wise to do the same, as López confirms they will be gifted a special scene that had to be cut in the editing process to maintain a reasonable runtime.
While speaking with US Weekly, López shared that Red, White & Royal Blue originally came in at three hours long. After trimming the fat and keeping only information pertinent to the main characters’ overarching love story, that runtime was reduced to a reasonable 1 hour and 58 minutes. Still, López wanted to add a “cheeky” post-credits scene that wasn’t able to make it into the film, one that fans of the novel version of the story, written by Casey McQuiston, will specifically appreciate.
“I couldn’t get that moment in because it would be a little bit of a drag on the propulsion of the moment. But it was so charming, it was just such a perfect little charming moment between Taylor and Nick. And I decided to put it at the end because I wanted people to see it, but also I thought there was something really cheeky about having a post-credits scene be about whether or not anybody noticed it was even there.”
Like all the delicious treats in life, the scene isn’t necessary for the story’s balanced diet, but boy, oh boy, it “sure is nice,” says López.
“I like to think of it as just like a little morsel of chocolate at the end of the meal, and you don’t need to have it in order to feel satisfied, but oh, it sure is nice if you do catch it.”
Red, White & Royal Blue follows the enemies-to-lovers story between Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the son of the first female President of the United States, and Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine), the third in line to the British throne. After falling into a political nightmare at a royal wedding (literally), the two are tasked with repairing their public image, but when hatred turns to romance, they are forced to reconcile with the political nature of their relationship and whether the world is truly ready for a gay international romance between two major political parties.
The reception to Red, White & Royal Blue has been refreshingly positive, thanks in large part to the devoted group of readers who fell in love with McQuiston’s 2019 New York Times bestseller. Debuting with a strong 84% critic score Rotten Tomatoes score as of this writing, López’s decision to trim the fat and keep only the necessary parts of Alex and Henry’s story appears to have paid off.
Red, White & Royal Blue makes its grand entrance on Prime Video on Aug. 11.