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Love it or hate it, Colleen Hoover has taken the book world by storm with her best-selling novel It Ends With Us. After the book reached the top spot in The New York Times best-selling list in 2022 for over 90 weeks and became a BookTok phenomenon with over, it is now headed to the big screen with Jane the Virgin's Justin Baldoni and Gossip Girl's Blake Lively playing the lead characters. Here is an insight into everything we know so far about the plot, cast, and who is directing the adaptation.
Editor's Note: This piece was updated on May 20, 2024.
It Ends With Us
DramaRomanceLily believes she's found true love with Ryle, but when a painful incident triggers past trauma, she must decide if love alone can carry her marriage through. However, things are complicated when her first love returns to her life.
Release Date August 9, 2024 Director Justin Baldoni Cast Blake Lively , Jenny Slate , Brandon Sklenar , Justin Baldoni Main Genre Drama Writers Justin Baldoni , Christy Hall , Colleen HooverDoes 'It Ends With Us' Have a Release Date?
It Ends Us is slated for release in theaters on August 9, 2024. The film is set to open against the Focus Features crime drama The Bikeriders. The film was previously scheduled to release in theaters on February 9, 2024, but was pushed back to its current date, after filming was paused due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. The movie was also scheduled for release on June 21, 2024, before being pushed back to its current date.
Where Will 'It Ends With Us' Stream?
While It Ends With Us will enjoy an exclusive theatrical release, it will eventually be made available to stream on Netflix after its theatrical and PVOD windows close. This is thanks to a deal that was struck between the film's distributor, Sony Pictures, and Netflix, back in early 2021.
Is There a Trailer for 'It Ends With Us'?
The first official trailer for It Ends With Us was released on May 18, 2024. Set to Taylor Swift's "My Tears Ricochet," the trailer gives fans of the novel their first good look at how the emotional story will be brought to life.
What Is 'It Ends With Us' About?
Hoover's book follows Lily Bloom, a florist that falls in love with a charming and ambitious neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid. The two have a passionate relationship, up until their connection takes a violent turn once Lily's first love comes back into the picture. After years of promising herself that she would never be with someone as abusive as her father, Lily realizes that she must find strength within herself to not let the past repeat itself.
The official synopsis from It Ends With Us from Sony Pictures reads:
IT ENDS WITH US, the first Colleen Hoover novel adapted for the big screen, tells the compelling story of Lily Bloom (Blake Lively), a woman who overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life in Boston and chase a lifelong dream of opening her own business. A chance meeting with charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni) sparks an intense connection, but as the two fall deeply in love, Lily begins to see sides of Ryle that remind her of her parents’ relationship. When Lily’s first love, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), suddenly reenters her life, her relationship with Ryle is upended, and Lily realizes she must learn to rely on her own strength to make an impossible choice for her future.
Who Is in the Cast of 'It Ends With Us'?
CloseAs previously mentioned, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni will play Lily Bloom and Ryle Kincaid in the film adaptation. Many fans had mixed feelings about the choice of actors, given that most book readers were vocal on TikTok about having Abigail Cowen and Theo James playing the main characters.
While Lily and Ryle are much younger in the book than the ages of Lively and Baldoni, Hoover revealed that it was her decision to age the characters up.
"Back when I wrote 'It Ends With Us,' the new adult (genre) was very popular. You were writing college-age characters. That's what I was contracted to do. I made Lily very young. I didn't know that neurosurgeons went to school for 50 years. There's not a 20-something neurosurgeon. As I started making this movie, I'm like, we need to age them out, because I messed up," she said. "So that's my fault."
Aside from the leads, it was announced that SNL alum Jenny Slate will join the cast as Ryle's sister Alyssa and Patriot Act host Hasan Minhaj will play her husband and Ryle's best friend Marshall. Another addition to the film's ensemble is 1923's Brandon Sklenar, portraying Lily's first love Atlas Corrigan. Like the novel, It Ends With Us will have many flashback instances with younger versions of Lily and Atlas. Although there haven't been any updates on who will play the teenage version of Atlas, an emerging actress has already been selected for the role of teenage Lily. The casting process was made through a national open call on TikTok, in which Baldoni welcomed auditions from actresses who aren't already established in Hollywood, crediting how hard it is for people to have an opportunity to make it to the big screen.@justinbaldoni
On April 19, the actor/director shared with fans that a decision had been made
Who Is Making 'It Ends With Us'?
Baldoni is not only starring in the It Ends With Us adaptation, but he is also directing the upcoming film. This isn't the first time that the actor occupied the director's chair. His directorial debut was Five Feet Apart, featuring The White Lotus' Haley Lu Richardson and Riverdale's Cole Sprouse. Since then, he also directed Clouds, a film based on the real-life story of Zach Sobiech. Baldoni is also an executive producer of the project, alongside Hoover, Lively, Steve Sarowitz, Andrew Calof, and Christy Hall. Hall is also in charge of adapting the novel to the screen. In a private event in LA, fans of the book had the opportunity to read the script beforehand to give their feedback on it. Baldoni shared the following about the special occasion:
Alex Saks of Saks Picture Company and Jamey Heath of Wayfarer Studios will produce It Ends With Us.
When Did 'It Ends With Us' Film?
Filming for It Ends With Us started in May 2023 in Jersey City, with multiple behind-the-scenes videos surfing the internet. Some of them even sparked fans' attention, given Lively's redhead look and the chaotic wardrobe choices for her character.
Will 'It Ends With Us' Have a Sequel?
Since the film is still under production, a sequel hasn't been confirmed, but that doesn't mean that the idea is off the table. Given the success of Hoover's novel, the author came up with a follow-up to Lily's story called It Starts With Us. Here is the book's plot summary:
Lily and her ex-husband, Ryle, have just settled into a civil coparenting rhythm when she suddenly bumps into her first love, Atlas, again. After nearly two years separated, she is elated that for once, time is on their side, and she immediately says yes when Atlas asks her on a date.
But her excitement is quickly hampered by the knowledge that, though they are no longer married, Ryle is still very much a part of her life—and Atlas Corrigan is the one man he will hate being in his ex-wife and daughter’s life.
The sequel also became a hit, selling over 80 million copies on its release day, and was one of the three Colleen Hoover books to land in the bestseller list for 2022, the other two being It Ends With Us and Verity. Only time will tell if It Starts With Us will also be developed for the big screen, but in the meantime, fans can continue to keep an eye on this page to keep themselves in the loop of all the news related to the It Ends With Us adaptation.
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