Everything We Know About the ‘Evelyn Hugo’ Adaptation So Far

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid became a TikTok and “Booktuber” sensation in 2017. Now, Netflix are turning it into a feature film. 

Despite being four years old, the book was recently on New York Times’ Bestseller Paperback list for a whopping 54 weeks after its online virality. Back in 2017, it was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Historical Fiction. And, it has amassed almost one million ratings on the app, with an average of four and a half stars. 

Bestseller THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO is coming to Netflix!

This hugely popular tale centers around a reclusive Hollywood legend who chooses an unknown reporter to tell her life story. The book will be adapted for film by Liz Tigelaar (LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE). pic.twitter.com/GKhQ1zMXgJ

— NetflixFilm (@NetflixFilm) March 24, 2022

Pressure is most definitely on, as fans of the book have been fan-casting Evelyn Hugo and Celia St. James, as well as creating fanart and fanfiction of the pairing for years now. With a film adaptation finally in the works, expectations and doubts are both soaring. So, here is everything we know so far about the screen adaptation of The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo. 

The Plot

In case this news has sparked your interest or you have heard of Evelyn Hugo online, but have yet to read the book, Reid’s 2017 novel is a passionate recounting of a Hollywood star’s extravagant life, set in two separate timelines. In present-day, Evelyn Hugo (79) requests the help of an unassuming reporter by the name of Monique Grant to write her biography. Eager to learn why Evelyn picked her, of all people, Monique takes on the assignment, diving deep into a life story of glamour, scandal and a great love. Secrets unfold throughout, taking readers on a love-hate journey toward Evelyn. (Spoiler Alert!) The book’s success is primarily due to the gay love story at its centre between Evelyn and castmate Celia St. James.

It looks like the Netflix adaptation will stay faithful to the book’s plot, even if necessary adjustments will undoubtedly be made to fit the usual feature film runtime. This has been one of the biggest friction points for the fans, with some pointing out that the story would fit a mini-series much better. 

https://twitter.com/filmsbyg/status/1507058451620507648?s=20&t=oqH1tYB6oLBjJlrPMcjHXQ

just found out that the seven husbands of evelyn hugo is being made into a movie instead of a tv show no-one fucking talk to me i'm grieving what we could've had

— Jack Edwards (@jackbenedwards) March 24, 2022

With pre-production only just kicking off, there’s plenty of time to check out the source material and fall in love with these characters before the movie comes out! Anyone who has read it already knows, though, that the incredibly cinematic way in which it is written, creating vivid images in the reader’s mind, gathers all the ingredients for a beautiful future movie.

The Team

Veteran Hollywood screenwriter, Liz Tigelaar has been called on to adapt, with Liza Chasin (3Dot Productions) and Brad Mendelsohn (Circle of Confusion) producing. The author Taylor Jenkins Reid and Margaret Chernin will serve as executive producers.

Tigelaar should be a good omen for the film as she’s previously adapted the Celeste Ng novel Little Fires Everywhere into a Hulu series with considerable success. She was also an Executive Producer on Golden Globe Nominated show Casual and created the show that launched Britt Robertson’s career, Life Unexpected. 

However, more importantly, Tigelaar is overseeing the adaptation of another novel by Reid, 2021’s Malibu Rising, which exists in the same universe as Evelyn. This could appease fans since it hopefully means the screenwriter is completely familiar with the original author’s style and vision. 

Reid’s involvement, however, could be somewhat limited by the other projects she’s working on. Besides the two adaptations already mentioned, her works One True Loves (2016) and Daisy Jones & The Six (2019) are also being transformed for the screen, with big names such as Simu Liu, Sam Claflin and Riley Keough starring. Reid is also releasing a new novel this summer, entitled Carrie Soto Is Back.

id literally pay to have sofia vergara as evelyn hugo and jessica chastain as celia st james pic.twitter.com/FvneXw9GCy

— am.? (@itsamshow) March 23, 2022

The upcoming Evelyn Hugo project, which was initially going to be a show at Freeform, has yet to announce any casting related news, but fans are hoping Jessica Chastain and Sofia Vergara could play Celia and Evelyn respectively. The movie is expected to feature different actors for each timeline.  

Release Date

It will be at least another year until The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo movie comes out. Tigelaar should be currently working on the script, as the rest of the crew works on casting and pre-production. There’s no news on when production will start just yet. But, considering the popularity of the novel, we’re hoping Netflix will know to capitalise on its momentum and get the ball rolling as quickly as possible!