Colleen Hoover fans, prepare yourself – It Ends With Us is officially getting made into a movie. We know, we’re still screaming too. It Ends With Us had BookTok in a spiral during 2022, with over 2 billion views associated with the book’s hashtag and plenty of celeb fans including Kylie Jenner.
And now that it’s going to be made into a film, this is everything you need to know about the It Ends With Us adaptation.
Is there a trailer for It Ends With Us?
Yes! The first footage from It Ends With Us dropped on 17th May 2024, and it’s a lot to take in. In it, we see Lily (played by Blake Lively) opening up her florist, and Ryle walking through the door, before we see them slow-dancing under a disco ball, snogging on the rooftop and, well, his rage. Oh, and of course it’s set to actual Taylor Swift.
Yeah, it’s a lot to take in:
Do we have images of It Ends With Us yet?
After months of waiting (we’re very impatient) the first official images of It Ends With Us have finally been released and we are beyond excited.
Yesterday (30th April) the first official stills were released and showed us Blake Lively in character as Lily Bloom, sporting a denim jumpsuit. There was also another image of Blake as Lily alongside Justin Baldoni as Ryle Kincaid taking up karaoke mics and singing together. Another image showed the pair holding each other’s faces and looking intensely into their eyes.
We also get our first look at Brandon Sklenar as Atlas, who is seen serving Lily at a restaurant.
See all the images here (and prepare to squeal):
What is the It Ends With Us release date?
Well, it’s hard to know 100 per cent because it’s already changed three times. First of all, the release date for It Ends With Us was confirmed as 9th February 2024.
But unfortunately, February came and went, and It Ends With Us wasn’t released. Then, it was pushed back to the 21st June 2024, before PEOPLE shared the film had been delayed for seven weeks more, and wouldn’t hit cinema screens until 9th August 2024. Um, what is going on?
The movie has been in the works since 2019, but filming only began in May 2023 in New Jersey. A month later, while half of the filming had been completed, production was then halted due to the writer’s strike. It then resumed at the end of 2023, when the strike ended.
Colleen Hoover defends It Ends With Us after fan backlash
After a number of behind the scenes photos of Blake Lively on set as main character Lily were shared in spring 2023, fans of the novel were less than impressed by the looks. Many suggested the costumes Blake was wearing were nothing like how they had imagined the character of Lily.
And following the backlash, Colleen Hoover, the writer of It Ends With Us, has responded, saying she’s not worried about the adaptation’s costumes. Speaking to Jenna Bush Hager at Book Bonanza, Hoover said: “I don’t remember describing outfits at all. I don’t care what they have on. In my head, it’s about the conversation they’re having and the story. It’s the same way in the movie.”
Colleen added fans had only seen a few looks that were “completely out of context” and insisted she’s not worried about the film adaptation.
In fact, she went onto say she cried whilst watching footage of the film on set recently. “I got to see the footage they filmed thus far,” she said. “I’m not a crier — I know that I write emotional books, but I’m not an emotional person — and I cried so much on set.”
In spring 2023, filming on the adaptation of It Ends With Us began in New York, with Blake Lively stepping out in character as Lily. And, er, judging by the reaction on social media, it’s safe to say fans have some *thoughts* about her outfits.
As one fan put it, “Photos from the set of It Ends with Us were released today. I love Blake Lively, but this is not Lily Bloom. Not even close. Why does she look so frumpy and disheveled? And like 20 years older than described in the books? Let’s discuss.”
Someone else said, “Maybe we just need to trust the process, but I kind of just hate that they decided to cast so much older than what the characters in the book were” while a third added, “The wig, the outfit, none of this is reading a young girl in her twenties starting life in the big city.”
Eek.
Who is in the cast of It Ends With Us?
Brandon Sklenar from 1923 will play Atlas, Lily’s love interest from school who comes back into her life when she bumps into him at a restaurant. Reacting to the news, author Colleen Hoover wrote on her Instagram, “They announced Atlas! Cannot wait for this. Loving the cast so far. Feels like a dream 😍”
Blake Lively has been cast as the lead Lily. Colleen Hoover announced the news herself on her Instagram on 26th January 2023, saying: “Our Lily is going to be played by Blake Lively. Blake Lively, y’all. She’s my dream Lily.”
Colleen also announced Ryle will be played by Jane The Virgin’s Justin Baldoni, who will also be directing and producing the film through his production company Wayfarer Entertainment company.
Speaking about Justin as Ryle, Colleen said: “When I first met Justin Baldoni, who is directing the film for It Ends With Us, I immediately wanted him to be Ryle. I just thought that he had what it takes to play that character. The good news is he’s gonna be Ryle. So we have our Ryle and our Lily.”
We’re so excited!
What is It Ends With Us about?
It Ends With Us is an adaption of the novel of the same name, by BookTok’s favourite author Colleen Hoover.
The novel was released in 2016 and has since sold over one million copies, thanks in part to its popularity on TikTok. The story is inspired by the relationship between Hoover’s own mother and father, and she’s previously described it as “the hardest book I’ve ever written”.
The novel is centred around Lily, a college graduate who moves to Boston in the hope of opening up her own flower shop. There, she falls in love with neurosurgeon Ryle, whilst also grappling with the memories of her past love Atlas, and coming to terms with the abuse in her parent’s relationship.
But when Atlas suddenly reappears, Lily’s entire life with Ryle is threatened. Whilst we don’t know how close to the book the film will be, we’re hoping it’s going to be as faithful an adaptation as possible.
Senior Entertainment and Lifestyle Writer
Lydia Venn is Cosmopolitan UK’s Senior Entertainment and Lifestyle Writer. She covers everything from , to the latest celebrity news. She also writes across our work/life section regularly creating , covering exciting new releases and sharing the latest must-haves. In her role she’s interviewed everyone from Margot Robbie to Niall Horan, and her work has appeared on an episode of . After completing a degree in English at the University of Exeter, Lydia moved into journalism, writing for the , before working as Features Editor at , where she spoke on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and Talk Radio. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of Gilmore Girls and 00s teen movies, and in her free time can be found with a margarita in hand watching the Real Housewives on repeat. Find her on .