One of Colleen Hoover’s most famous and bestselling romance novels is finally getting its own movie adaptation, and fans cannot wait! It Ends With Us was first published in 2016 and since then has won the hearts of many. A story of mistakes and lessons, the novel sold over one million copies at the end of 2019 and had translations in over twenty languages. According to Forbes, It Ends With Us was the bestselling novel of 2022.
Hoover’s novels have always had a special place in the hearts of many book lovers. With most of her works centering on romance and catering to the young adult demographic, the author has garnered a loyal following throughout the years. Despite her reputation as an author, It Ends With Us will be the first film adaptation of Hoover’s work. While the author has not had her books transformed into movies, Hoover’s work, Confess, was adapted into a TV series in 2017. However, the show didn’t gain much traction, with many feeling that it fell short of the book. Given this, and the novel's reputation, fans have high expectations for the film adaptation of It Ends With Us. Here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming movie.
It Ends With Us: The Plot
It has been reported that Hoover herself will be heavily involved with the production of the film adaptation. Given this, it is likely that the film's plot may follow a narrative quite similar to that of the book. After Confess was heavily criticized for deviating too greatly from its original source work, it is all the more likely that It Ends With Us will more or less stay faithful to the original text.
If the film does follow a narrative similar to the novel, viewers can expect to follow the protagonist, Lily Bloom, as she relocates to a new city, Boston, in a bid to start a new chapter of her life. The film will explore tropes of romance and conflicted relationships as viewers follow Lily's journey of falling in love and navigating her shaky relationship with her mother. The sensitive theme of abuse will also likely be explored in the adaptation. The original text outlines both the emotional and physical abuse that Lily’s mother suffered at her father's hands and the aggression shown to Lily in her new romantic relationship. In the event that the adaptation stays faithful to the source text, the film will no doubt be able to captivate its viewers.
It Ends With Us: The Cast
At the time of writing, only two cast members have been confirmed to have roles in the film. Hoover herself made the announcement via Instagram in January. The author, videoing herself outside her childhood home, credited the strength and love of her mother in providing them with a secure childhood. Making the announcement regarding the cast, Hoover said:
“Our Lily is going to be played by Blake Lively. Blake Lively ya’ll. She’s my dream Lily. And then when I first met Justin Baldoni, who is directing the film for It Ends With Us, I immediately wanted him to be Ryle. I just thought that he had what it takes to play that character.”
Hoover also expressed her excitement for the film and promised to bring fans as much behind-the-scenes footage as possible. With Lively and Baldoni being the only two confirmed cast members thus far, fans have come up with several speculations about who could possibly take on the roles of Atlas, Lily’s first love, and Allysa, Lily’s best friend and Ryle’s sister. So far, Dylan O’Brien and Lily Collins have emerged as fan favorites. However, many are also looking forward to the actors who could take on the roles of the younger Lily, with fans again nominating Sadie Sink for the role. Sink has been praised for her performance in The Whale, where she played the daughter of a professor portrayed by the talented Brendan Fraser.
Release Date
At the time of writing, no release date for the film has been set. With the film still in the early stages of development, it is safe to assume that we may not see its release this year. Instead, the adaptation will most likely make its debut somewhere in 2024. With the recent controversy surrounding author Colleen Hoover, only time will tell if the movie lives up to the expectations of fans or falls short.
It Ends With Us: Everything Else We Know
Both Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have dual roles in the adaptation. In addition to portraying some of the leading characters in the narrative, Baldoni will be directing the adaptation, and Lively will be taking on the role of executive producer. This will not be Baldoni’s first time in the director seat, having previously worked on projects including Clouds and Five Feet Apart. Baldoni, who, together with his production company Wayfarer Studios, also optioned the novel back in 2019. Wayfarer Studios and Sony Pictures will be developing the film together.
Lively has also made a shift into taking on behind-the-scenes roles, having made her directorial debut through Taylor Swift’s music video for I Bet You Think About Me. She is set to make her film directorial debut in the adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s novel, Seconds. A release date for the film has not been announced yet. Lively is best known for her performance in the popular drama series Gossip Girl, where she played the character of Serena van der Woodsen.