Whether you’re a BookToker, a voracious reader of new novels, or someone who loves a period piece, Netflix has an upcoming movie for you. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reid, is being adapted into a film that is sure to be full of juicy drama and old Hollywood glamour.
The adaptation was announced in March 2022, so there aren’t a ton of details just yet. But if you are one of the many fans of this book and can’t wait to find out more, read on for everything we know so far.
First of all, what is The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo about?
Without giving away any spoilers, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is about an old Hollywood star—Evelyn Hugo, obvs—who decides to give an interview about her life to an unknown reporter named Monique Grant. Evelyn shares her secrets and her life story, including her career as an actor and her seven marriages. The book, which was published in 2017, became even more popular in 2021 thanks to Book TikTok (aka BookTok).
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“Everyone started scrambling, just going, ‘How did that happen?’” Reid told The Times about her book hitting the New York Times’ best-seller list. “And nobody had any answers. Nobody could figure it out. And then my manager calls me and says, ‘Have you looked your book up on TikTok?’”
Who is making The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo?
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is being adapted for Netflix by Liz Tigelaar. The writer was previously the developer, showrunner, and executive producer for another popular novel adaptation—Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere, based on the book of the same name, by Celeste Ng.
We also know that Reid herself will be one of the executive producers for the new movie.
Who is starring in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo?
No casting decisions have been announced yet, but the fan-casting kicked off as soon as the announcement came out. Back in January 2023 during an episode of Watch What Happens Live, Jessica Chastain even revealed that she would be open to playing one of the roles: that of Celia St. James. “Jessica, are you aware—we got this a lot—of how many people want you to play Celia St. James in the film adaptation of the novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo?” host Andy Cohen asked the A-list actor, who responded with, “I do know there is an online thing about it. Sure, send me a script.”
And evidently, the overwhelming support for Jessica to play the role has only grown since then, with fans even asking the actor to sign copies of their books for them, prompting the actor to address the rumors herself:
And in case ya didn’t know, in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Celia is a Hollywood actress and Evelyn’s rival who (SPOILER ALERT) just so happens to be in a secret relationship with her. It’s def a juicy role, so we’ll totally be on the lookout for who winds up snagging it. 👀
When will The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo be released?
There is also not a release date for the movie just yet. Sorry!
Anything else to look forward to?
If you’re a fan of Reid, then yes! In addition to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo being adapted into a movie, her 2019 novel Daisy Jones & the Six (which is about a fictional ’70s rock band) was just made into a miniseries for Amazon Prime and stars Riley Keough and Sam Claflin.
On top of that, Reid’s 2021 book Malibu Rising is being adapted into a series for Hulu. This one is about four famous siblings throwing a huge end-of-summer party while dealing with plenty of personal issues and secrets. There is not yet a release date for Malibu Rising either, but with these projects on the way, get ready for plenty of fictional-famous-people drama.