Actress Blake Lively (“Gossip Girl,” “A Simple Favor”) and actor Justin Baldoni (“Jane the Virgin”) have been attached to star in Sony and Wayfarer Studios’ movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s “It Ends With Us,” TheWrap has confirmed.
Baldoni will direct with a script adapted by Christy Hall. Deadline first reported the news.
“It Ends With Us” is one of many Colleen Hoover novels that swept through Booktok with over 2 billion views on her TikTok hashtag. Other works like Hoover’s “Verity” received the same treatment, making Hoover the current best-selling novelist in the United States. Five of the 10 best-selling print books of 2022 were Hoover’s.
“It Ends With Us” was the top selling print book of 2022, has been on the New York Times Best Seller List for over 90 weeks. A prequel novel titled “It Starts With Us” arrived in October 2022.
Hoover is consulting on the film. The book was optioned by Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios in 2019.
Alex Saks will produce for Saks Picture Company, along with Jamey Heath who will produce on behalf of Wayfarer Studios. Lively and Hoover are executive producing along with Steve Sarowitz, Andrew Calof and Baldoni on behalf of Wayfarer, which is also co-financing. Hall is also producing.
Lively has recently directed Taylor Swift’s 2021 music video for “I Bet You Think About Me,” in which an angry red-garbed Swift haunts a confused Miles Teller. The video earned two ACM Award nominations and one CMA nomination.
She will also reprise her role of Emily Nelson in the sequel for “A Simple Favor” in which she starred alongside Anna Kendrick. Paul Feig will return to direct.
Baldoni is known for starring as Rafael Solano in the CW’s “Jane the Virgin.” He has since directed and produced films like “Clouds” and “Five Feet Apart.”
Hoover first confirmed the adaptation of “It Ends with Us” under Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios on Instagram in July 2022.
