Everything We Know About 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' Netflix Movie Adaptation

Every passing day, #BookTok and Bookstagram readers and cinephiles alike are one step closer to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo film that we deserve.

The brainchild of beloved author Taylor Jenkins Reid, an on-screen adaptation of the New York Times bestseller has been in the works for a while....a long while. Originally published in 2017 and made popular by #Booktok in 2021, the novel, which draws inspiration from the salacious love life of Hollywood bombshell Elizabeth Taylor and was inspired by the real-life memoir of Ava Gardner, was originally rumored to become a Freeform series. The project fell through, but by March 2022, streaming giant Netflix announced it had picked the book up for a film adaptation.

Reid told Associated Press in 2025 that she and the rest of the team have been working hard bringing Evelyn, her seven husbands, and her one true love, Celia St. James, to life. “We’re taking it very seriously, and I give Netflix so much credit because they have such an immense respect for the readership of that book,” she said. “They want to make them happy.”

It seems the team behind the film also wants to get the casting just right. After all, as Reid has pointed out, Riley Keogh couldn’t have been more perfectly cast as the titular character in her last book adaptation, Prime Video's Daisy Jones & the Six. “It sets a really high bar. [We’ve] got to get Evelyn Hugo exactly right,” she said.

As we wait for the film to stream, below, we're keeping track of everything there is to know about The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Netflix movie, from the release date and casting news to the plot.

Everything We Know About the Adaptation of 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo'

What is 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' about?

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is about a reclusive Golden Age movie star who decides to release a tell-all memoir upon her death, revealing a lifetime of juicy secrets—including those involving her much-talked-about love life.

Married seven times over (eat your heart out, Liz Taylor!), she’s experienced just about every kind of relationship. However, the love of her life has always remained a mystery to the public. Now, she’s chosen a no-name journalist to reveal her one true soulmate: Celia, a lover that none of Evelyn’s seven husbands could ever hold a candle to.

The film should follow the plot—but not entirely to a T. Reid told TIME in 2025 that the movie will likely take some liberties with the script to address the #MeToo movement that occurred shortly after the novel was released. “There was no Harvey Weinstein conversation when I finished that book,” she said. “We have a real opportunity here to further that conversation, and to make the movie better than the book.”

Who is involved in 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' film adaptation?

It's official: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo will be helmed by someone familiar with the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. In early June, Deadline revealed that actress-turned-director Anna Kendrick has signed on to direct the highly anticipated Netflix adaptation.

Hugo will be Kendrick's second feature film, following her acclaimed true-crime thriller Woman of the Hour. She's kept tight-lipped about any details but has made one thing clear: She loves the source material and wants to do readers justice.

"I'm thinking about the fans all the time," the Pitch Perfect alum told E! News in September 2026. "Whenever somebody comes up to me and is like, 'Oh, my best friend or my agent or my so and so is like, you don't understand. They're obsessed with that book.' I'm like, "Give me their number.'...I want to talk to them because I want to know exactly what gets at the heart of it for people because this book is so moving

Kendrick added, "I, of course, have a big task ahead of me, and I am desperate to get it right."

Fans of Reid’s work will be happy to know that Reid herself will have a major hand in the Netflix adaptation of her book. She’s signed on to be the film’s executive producer.

The novelist also has a powerhouse team behind her. Liz Tigelaar—whose work you might recognize from series like Revenge, Nashville, and Little Fires Everywhere—signed on to write the film’s script. (More recently, it also underwent rewrites from Mr. and Mrs. Smith co-creator Francesca Sloane.)

According to Reid, Tigelaar nailed it. “[Liz]…is a phenomenal talent,” the writer gushed in a 2023 AP interview. “I said, ‘I don’t know how you’re going to do this, I think you need to condense this story, and she said, ‘No I don’t,” and I go, ‘Okay,’ and then she turns in the script, and I was like, ‘I was wrong, you were right.’ You got it!”

Though Leslye Headland (The Acolyte, Russian Doll) was originally tapped to direct, she left the project some time before January 2025, per Variety. Headland told the publication, “It’s one of those things where you know it’s going to be a huge success. I thought, ‘Damn it. It’s not going to work out with me involved in it, but it is going to be wildly successful.’”

In February 2025, Maggie Betts (The Burial, Novitiate) replaced Headland, according to Variety, but she inevitably stepped away, and Kendrick came on.

Brad Mendelsohn, who worked with Reid on Daisy Jones & the Six, is also on board as a producer.

“I feel quite confident that every single person that I've chosen to oversee these adaptations is taking them so seriously [and] has such a sincerity,” Reid told PEOPLE in May 2025. “They’re all doing a very good job.”

What has Taylor Jenkins Reid said about 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' adaptation?

Reid has been relatively quiet about the film’s adaptation in recent years, but for good reason. “I think people mistake me not saying anything as a lack of interest or focus and that’s not the case,” she told AP in May 2025.

The author added, “Everyone is working incredibly hard to get this movie made and everyone knows that there is a lot of pressure to get it exactly right.”

When will Netflix’s version of 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' be released?

Netflix hasn't unveiled a release date for The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. With the film still in the early days of development, it is difficult to predict when it might premiere. We suggest you don't hold your breath: It may not be until at least early 2028 that the film comes out, and that's should pre-production, casting, filming, and post-production move along swimmingly.

Who has been cast in 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' film adaptation?

No official casting decisions have been made for the Netflix film. While fans have been clamoring about who might play the glamorous characters on the page, the film's crew has stressed that they understand the pressure.

Reid, who worked as a casting assistant early in her career, has remained largely tight-lipped about her “strong opinions” when it comes to names for both Evelyn Hugo and Celia St. James—but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been thinking about it. “[We’ve] got to get Evelyn Hugo exactly right,” she told PEOPLE.

The writer is particularly invested in the leading roles. “There’s just a short list of women that I am incredibly, incredibly excited about,” she said to AP in 2023.

Several actresses have since thrown their hats in the ring for the film. For starters? Camila Morrone, who played Camila in Daisy Jones & the Six. “I’m trying to play that part,” she said of Evelyn Hugo in an interview with The Skimm.

Ana de Armas (Ballerina) and Eiza González have also expressed interest in the role. González, for one, admitted to E! News that she's read all of Jenkins Reid's books and that they're even pen pals—so it certainly seems possible that she could become involved with this production (or another).

"I would love to. I love that book," the star said of Evelyn Hugo. "It's incredibly smart and ahead of its time...It dives into real relationships and how complicated they are…I've been waiting for that to get adapted and hopefully be an amazing script. So, I'd be honored."

One actress who won't be involved? Jessica Chastain, who fans have frequently named as their top choice to play Celia. After being asked to sign copies of the book on numerous occasions, she took to X (formerly Twitter) to ask fans to stop. The Oscar-winner wrote, "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 later put any lingering rumors to rest by telling E! News that there was “zero possibility” she’d be taking on the role.

While Chastain may be out, you can start putting together your other dream castings now, as we wait for more news regarding The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.