Felix Mallard and Isabela Merced are bringing Turtles All the Way Down to life in the new trailer.
The first trailer, which debuted Wednesday, April 3, not only gives fans a first look at the book adaptation but a release date. Turtles All the Way Down will start streaming on Max on May 2.
Merced, 22, and Mallard, 25, lead the movie which is an adaptation of the 2017 YA novel of the same name by John Green. Merced plays Aza Holmes, who is a 17-year-old girl who struggles with obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety. The Ginny and Georgia star portrays Davis Pickett, Ava’s childhood crush.
In the trailer, fans get a first look at Aza as she struggles with her mental health while trying to navigate friendships with pal Daisy (Cree Cicchino) and her plans for after high school. While struggling with her worries, Aza connects with Davis and the pair grow close. However, Aza doubts that she can truly be happy in a romance because of her anxieties.
Before starring in Turtles All the Way Down, Merced got her start on Nickelodeon under the name Isabela Moner. She got the lead role of CJ Martin in the series 100 Things to Do Before High School, which ran from 2014 to 2016. She then went on to get her breakout role as Dora in the live-action adaptation of Dora the Explorer, titled Dora and the Lost City of Gold.
Following her portrayal of Dora, she started to go by Merced professionally. After her name change, she snagged a role in the holiday Netflix rom-com Let It Snow, which also featured Shameik Moore, Kiernan Shipka, Jacob Batalon and others. Let It Snow was also based on a YA novel that was penned by a trio of prominent authors including Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle.
Recently, Merced appeared in Madame Web alongside Sydney Sweeney and Dakota Johnson. She is going to continue the superhero route with her upcoming role as Hawkgirl in James Gunn’s upcoming Superman movie which will drop in July 2026. She will also appear in season 2 of The Last of Us as Dina, which is set to premiere in 2025.
While Merced has gathered a lot of acting credits over the years, she opened up to The Hollywood Reporter about how special it was for her to play Aza in Turtles All the Way Down.
“When I watch my movies for the first time, I do find myself grabbing onto my seat and clenching my jaw. So I do have a hard time watching myself, but Turtles All the Way Down, I don’t know if it’s personal growth or working on my self-worth, but I didn’t clench up at all while watching it,” she said in February 2024. “I felt at ease watching it, and maybe that’s because I knew how much work I put into it and how I felt after each shooting day. So I do feel really proud of myself for that.”
Mallard, for his part, made his acting debut in 2014 on the Australian soap opera, Neighbours. He played Ben Kirk on the program up until 2019. Fans of the actor know him best for his portrayal of Marcus Baker in the Netflix series Ginny and Georgia.
