Anne Hathaway Falls for a Harry Styles-Inspired Pop Star in 'The Idea of You' Trailer

See the first look at the latest fanfic-turned-novel-turned-rom-com.

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Nicholas Galitzine and Anne Hathaway, about to kiss in a hotel room, in 'The Idea of You'
(Image credit: Courtesy of Prime Video)

Prime Video's highly-anticipated rom-com The Idea of You has released its first trailer, showing a heart-fluttering look at the romance between an approaching-40-year-old mom and a pop star that looks a lot like one of the world's most famous musicians. The romance is one of the buzziest new comedy movies of 2024, thanks to its stars—the always-gorgeous Anne Hathaway and the booked-and-busy Nicholas Galitzine—and its notorious source material. Now that a good look at the film has finally arrived, we're moving it even higher up our must-watch lists.

Based on Robinne Lee's bestselling novel of the same name, The Idea of You follows Solène (Hathaway), a newly-divorced mom who takes her 16-year-old daughter Izzy to see her favorite band, August Moon, play at Coachella. Solène runs into August Moon's frontman, Hayes Campbell, and the unlikely pair have unbelievable chemistry. As the two begin a relationship, Solène has to balance her everyday life with this extraordinary romance, and deal with both the societal baggage around age-gap romances and the intense backlash to dating a man with a massive fanbase.

Nicholas Galitzine and Anne Hathaway walk down a busy sidewalk as people stare at them, in 'The Idea of You'

Hayes (Nicholas Galitzine) and Solène (Anne Hathaway) enjoy a day out despite onlookers, in The Idea of You.

(Image credit: Courtesy of Prime Video)

The trailer is full of both sweet and steamy moments, from the awkward meet-cute as Solène somehow finds herself in Hayes's trailer to his romantic shoutout onstage and even him tracking her down at her gallery (with paparazzi in tow) and convincing her to give the relationship a shot. Their first kiss is hot enough to elicit a deep exhale from Solène, but it's clear that she's more concerned about public opinion than he is. “What about what people will say?” she asks during a tryst, before Hayes responds, “I don’t care what they say.”

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The natural chemistry between Hathaway and Galitzine should be enough of a draw, but as some former Directioners know, another lure for the movie is that Hayes is said to be based on none other than Harry Styles. Since The Idea of You novel came out in 2017, there has been speculation that it was based on the author's Harry Styles fanfiction, and it was part of the fanfic-to-traditional-publishing pipeline that began in the 2010s. (See Fifty Shades of Grey, After, etc.) In a 2020 interview, Lee even admitted that she began the book after researching Styles and learning about his history with dating older women—though, when asked if Hayes was inspired by Styles, she answered, "Inspired is a strong word." Instead, she added, "I made him into my dream guy... like Prince Harry meets Harry [Styles]."

nicholas galitzine stands onstage during a concert in 'the idea of you'

Hayes Campbell (played by Nicholas Galitzine) onstage during a concert, in The Idea of You.

(Image credit: Alisha Wetherill/Prime)

Ella Rubin, Annie Mumolo, Reid Scott, Perry Mattfeld, and Jordan Aaron Hall also star in the film, and Jaiden Anthony, Raymond Cham, Vik White and Dakota Adan making up the other four members of August Moon. The movie will also feature original songs; the first, “Dance Before We Walk,” was released Wednesday along with the trailer.

The Idea of You will premiere at SXSW before making its debut on Prime Video on May 2, 2024.

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Quinci LeGardye
Quinci LeGardye
Culture Writer

Quinci LeGardye is a Culture Writer at Marie Claire. She currently lives in her hometown of Los Angeles after periods living in NYC and Albuquerque, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in English and Psychology from The University of New Mexico. In 2021, she joined Marie Claire as a contributor, becoming a full-time writer for the brand in 2024. She contributes day-to-day-content covering television, movies, books, and pop culture in general. She has also written features, profiles, recaps, personal essays, and cultural criticism for outlets including Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, HuffPost, Teen Vogue, Vulture, The A.V. Club, Catapult, and others. When she isn't writing or checking Twitter way too often, you can find her watching the latest K-drama, or giving a concert performance in her car.