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‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ Movie: Updates and Info on Netflix’s Adaptation

Following Prime Video’s adaptation of Daisy Jones and the Six, fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid are about to see another of the author’s books come to life on the screen. Buzzed about on BookTok and now considered one of the most popular historical fiction books in recent years, it was confirmed in March 2022 that Netflix is set to release a film adaptation of the New York Times bestseller The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

Published in 2017, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a novel that spans decades and follows Old Hollywood starlet Evelyn Hugo as she sits down for a tell-all interview with struggling journalist Monique Grant. As Hugo opens up about her life, including her rise to stardom, she details her seven marriages, pulling back the curtain on her one true love, fellow actress Celia St. James.

The book has become a social media sensation, gaining plenty of traction in 2021 when BookTok began buzzing about. Opening up about the novel’s success, Reid told The Times about her book hitting the New York Times’ best-seller list, “everyone started scrambling, just going, ‘How did that happen?’ 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?'”

Given Evelyn Hugo’s popularity, it comes as little surprise that news the book would be getting the big screen treatment generated plenty of excitement, with fans now clamoring for any and all information about the movie. Keep scrolling to see all of the updates about Netflix’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo film.

‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ was initially set at Freeform

Reid’s beloved novel wasn’t always set for a movie at Netflix. In 2019, Deadline confirmed that the novel was set to be adapted into a series at Freeform. Reid was attached to the show as writer, with Ilene Chaiken (The L Word, Empire) and Jennifer Beals (The L Word) set to executive produce. Fox 21 Television Studios, where Chaiken is under a deal, was the studio. Little information about the series came in the years that followed until it was announced in March 2022 that book would instead be adapted into a movie at Netflix.

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Who is attached to ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’?

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is being adapted for Netflix by Liz Tigelaar, known for developing, showrunning, and executive producing other popular series including Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere. Reid, meanwhile, is attached as executive producer alongside Margaret Chernin.

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‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ script is complete

While little info has followed that March 2022 announcement, Reid and Tigelarr revealed in an interview with the Associated Press in March 2023 that the Evelyn Hugo script is “done.” Asked about the massive task of adapting the 400-page novel into a movie, Tigelaar admitted that she “did not know when I took on the Evelyn Hugo script what a big deal that Evelyn Hugo script was,” adding that she “just knew I read the book and loved” before revealing the status of the script.

“And so the script is – it’s done. It is now in the hands of the people who are going to make it, and I am so proud of it,” she said. “Taylor Jenkins Reed obviously was an amazing collaborator, amazing to work with, and I can’t wait to see it come to life. I’m so proud of the script and that that movie is hopefully going to be out there.”

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Will the story be condensed?

While fans are ecstatic that they will see Reid’s novel play out on the screen, news that the adaptation was switching from a series to a movie left many concerned. Given the setup of the book, which covers cover one of Evelyn ‘s husbands in each section, many believed the novel was perfectly set up for an eight to 10 episode limited series, with each episode covering one of Evelyn’s husbands, as well as her love story with Celia and her story with Monique. Limiting the story to the timeframe of a single movie, however, seemed to be more difficult, with many unable to see how the full story could be covered. Reid, however, assured fans in that same AP interview that the story is not condensed.

“Liz Tigelaar, who wrote the script is a phenomenal talent, and she showed up. I said, ‘I don’t know how you’re going to do this. I think you need to condense the story.’ And she said, ‘No, I don’t.’ And I go, ‘OK,'” she recalled. “And then she turns in the script and I was like, ‘I was wrong. You were right. You got it.'”

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‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ premiere date

At this time, Netflix has not set a premiere date, or even a premiere year, for it’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo film. Since the script it confirmed to be done, however, we at least know that the movie is one step closer to filming, though it will likely be a bit of a wait before fans can watch the movie.

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‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ cast

At this time, Netflix has not made any casting announcements for the film adaptation, though it seems casting news could be coming soon. Reid teased in March that while “there is no news to tell you…who is going to play Evelyn Hugo and who might play Celia St. James are always in the forefront of my mind.” The best-selling author, who added that “they’re some of the most exciting questions that Brad (Mendelsohn) and I deal with on a daily basis,” said that while “there is no definitive answer” regarding casting at this time, there is “a short list of women that I am incredibly, incredibly excited about. And, you know, hopefully we will make that decision soon.”

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Jessica Chastain will not portray Celia St. James

Amid the buzz surrounding the film’s casting, one thing is known: Jessica Chastain will not take on the role of Celia. Although Chastain has long-been a fan-favorite for the role, the actress confirmed in an interaction with a fan earlier this year that she was not cast in the film. Asked by a fan to sign her copy of the book, Chastain said that she wasn’t able to do that, “just because I’m not doing it.” Chastain later clarified her remarks on Twitter.

“I’ve been asked multiple times by fans, to sign books that I’m not attached to contractually. Because it feels wrong, and like Im taking credit for someone else’s work, I’ll say I cant sign because I’m not doing it. That doesn’t mean I’ve read a bad script,” she wrote. “I know how excited many you are about adaptations. Please dont read too much into a video. There is no news about anything. Except that I’m onstage until June 10th. Hope to see you.”

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‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ is part of a larger universe

While The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a standalone book, it is part of a larger universe, consisting of four books, set within Reid’s eight-book collection. The quartet of books centers around famous women throughout various decades and begins with Evelyn Hugo. Daisy Jones and The Six is the second novel in the quartet and is centered around a fictional ’70s rock band. The quartet also includes Malibu Rising and Carrie Soto is Back, about a female athlete. While all four books act as standalones, there is one recurring figure: Mick Riva, a singer, who appears in each of the four novels.

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