Early last spring, it was announced that Netflix would be producing a film adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s 2017 breakout novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Not only did the announcement gain a ton of press, but it also generated a mass of conversations among fans of the novel.

However, since the original announcement, there's been no additional information released. Some of the primary topics of conversation among fans include when the adaptation will be released, as well as both the cast and the format of the adaptation.

Will It Be a Film or a Series?

daisy jones and the six
Prime Video

Netflix originally announced that the adaptation of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo would be a film, written by Little Fires Everywhere showrunner Liz Tigelaar, but there has been a fair amount of backlash from fans of the novel —of which there are many. Recently, there have been a handful of Netflix originals, either adapted from another format or have been a remake of an older film, which have been met with quite a bit of criticism. Persuasion adapted from the Jane Austen novel of the same title for example, Brain on Fire based on a memoir of the same name by Susannah Cahalan, and Cowboy Bebop, a live action remake of the animated series, have all been widely dismissed with tons of poor ratings. As such, Netflix does not always have the best track record when it comes to doing adaptations justice, and that is primarily the concern of Evelyn Hugo fans.

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Given the format of the novel, the adaptation actually lends itself pretty easily to a miniseries format, with each episode surrounding the story of each of Hugo’s seven husbands. Each of the seven husbands has a story that is most definitely fraught enough to encompass one hour-long episode on its own, making it pretty difficult to fit the entire plot of the book into one feature-length movie. With all of Netflix’s past failures and shortcomings, they have long foregone the benefit of the doubt in the eyes of viewers, especially those who are coming in hot with a love of the original and high expectations for the adaptation. It seems that formatting this adaptation as a film is essentially setting them up for failure.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is among the most successful commercial authors of the last decade or so, thus it’s safe to assume that The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo will not be the only novel of hers with a fan base hoping to see a live-action adaptation. Both Daisy Jones and The Six and Malibu Rising take place in the same fictional universe as Evelyn Hugo, and both have received the same caliber of praise from readers as well. Not only does the plot of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo lend itself better to a series, but all three of these novels also lend themselves to a three-season series set in the same universe. With overlapping cameos as a compelling bonus, it would seem a no-brainer, aside from the fact that Daisy Jones has a series coming on Prime Video.

When Will More Information Be Available?

Jessica Chastain The Good Nurse
Netflix

Readers everywhere have been anxiously waiting for this adaptation since the novel’s initial publication in 2017, and even more so since the adaptation was announced and confirmed in 2022. However, there has been exceptionally little talk from the source itself of the adaptation ever since the announcement was made in March 2022. Fans have taken it upon themselves to build and broadcast their dream casts for the adaptation, as Netflix has not even announced casting themselves.

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This begs the question: is the adaptation still a go? With so much excitement surrounding the initial announcement, and a resurgence in first-time readers of the novel, it seems odd that Netflix would go quiet about the adaptation right when fans are expecting news of the casting, filming, etc. With the novel being talked about more than it has been since its debut, one does wonder what could possibly be taking Netflix this long.

The length of this pseudo-hiatus has led to many different iterations of dream casts from fans, and these casts have gained so much traction that celebrities have started to respond. Many fans have expressed a desire for Jessica Chastain to be cast in the role of Celia St. James, the star-crossed love of the titular protagonist. Chastain has since expressed interest in the role, responding to the internet fan base casting with “Sure, send me a script.” With Jessica Chastain on the bill, plenty of other A-list stars are sure to follow the trend of interest in the adaptation, so what could Netflix possibly be waiting for?

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo hardly seems like a screen adaptation that fans would just allow to go cold before filming even commences. But alas, with no new updates from Netflix with regard to the series, it doesn’t seem like we’ll be indulging in a visual adaptation of Reid’s novel until 2024 at best.