Calling all romance fans: One of #BookTok’s most popular reads of all time is getting the silver-screen treatment. Ali Hazelwood’s bestselling book The Love Hypothesis is being adapted into a rom-com feature film and is set to arrive very soon! (At least, compared to other YA adaptations.)
For anyone not in the know, Hazelwood’s contemporary STEM romance has been a staple on romance recommendation lists since it was first published in September 2021. After 40 weeks on the NYT Best Seller List, PhD student Olive and professor Adam’s love story was greenlit to become a feature film. Amazon MGM Studios later took the reins, and filming has been taking place this summer. (You’ve probably seen behind-the-scenes clips on your For You page.)
As we wait for news of an official release date, buzz for the romance’s long-awaited release continues to build. Below, read on for everything we know about The Love Hypothesis movie adaptation so far.
You may like
What is ‘The Love Hypothesis’ about?
The first of Ali Hazelwood’s beloved “STEMinist” romances, The Love Hypothesis centers on Olive Smith, a third-year Ph.D. student studying biology at Stanford and navigating the male-dominated field. When Olive needs to pretend that she’s seeing someone, she kisses the first man she sees: Adam Carlsen, a superstar professor who’s known for being a grump. (Of course, Olive is sunshine.) Olive and Adam agree to fake a relationship for mutually-beneficial reasons, and a trope-y romance commences.
The Love Hypothesis also has a deep connection to, of all things, Star Wars. Hazelwood, a former neuroscience professor writing under a psuedonym, first posted the narrative as a Rey Skywalker/Kylo Ren (a.k.a. Reylo) alternate-universe fanfiction on Archive of Our Own. (The original fic has since been taking down.) Per Vulture, Hazelwood’s agent reached out after the then-fanfic author expressed she was interested in reworking her fics for traditional publishing. Not only did The Love Hypothesis‘s success help propel a Reylo trend in publishing, Hazelwood has since transitioned to writing full-time, publishing nine books and four novellas in the past four years.
Berkley
‘The Love Hypothesis’ by Ali Hazelwood
When will ‘The Love Hypothesis’ film be released?
As of late August 2025, Amazon MGM Studios and MRC have yet to announce when The Love Hypothesis movie will arrive on our screens. Thanks to plentiful updates from the cast, we do know that filming began in July and is currently underway. Based on the buzz around the adaptation so far, it’s possible that post-production will be fast-tracked for a premiere sometime in 2026.
Who has been cast in the ‘The Love Hypothesis’ adaptation?
On July 16, 2025, Deadline announced that Riverdale alum Lili Reinhart has signed on to both star in and executive-produce The Love Hypothesis. Per the outlet, Set It Up director Claire Scanlon is helming the film, and Ali Hazelwood also serves as an executive producer.
Reinhart celebrated the announcement by sharing a selfie of herself in costume as Olive Smith—brunette hair, lab coat and all—holding Hazelwood’s book.
Meanwhile, British actor Tom Bateman will play Dr. Adam Carlsen. The 36-year-old is best known for appearing in the murder-mystery movies Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, as well as the series Da Vinci’s Demons and Based on a True Story. (Fun fact: He’s also married to Star Wars alum Daisy Ridley, who was his Orient Express co-star.)
Rounding out the cast in unconfirmed roles are Adults‘ Rachel Marsh, The White Lotus‘s Nicholas Duvernay, Internet legend Jaboukie Young-White, and Daredevil: Born Again‘s Arty Froushan.
In a statement pegged to Reinhart’s casting, shared by Deadline, Hazelwood shared her excitement for the upcoming adaptation. “Honestly, I still can’t believe this is happening?” she wrote. “Elizabeth Cantillon [the film’s producer], Claire Scanlon, and Lili Reinhart have all created, produced, or starred in works that I’m absolutely feral about, and I am beyond honored that they’re choosing to bring their talent to this project.”
She continued, “Books and films are very different media, and I have complete trust in this brilliant team. I cannot wait to see the final product they’ll come up with. I hope they have as much fun filming as I had while writing the book.”
Where can I watch ‘The Love Hypothesis’ film?
As of late August 2025, the studios have also yet to confirm whether the film will receive a theatrical release, or if it will head straight to streaming on Prime Video. (A quick plea to the higher-ups: Let us see this in theaters! You don’t need to pull another The Idea of You.)
Why Trust Us
Everyone on Marie Claire‘s Culture team considers themselves pop culture experts with an enduring love of all things TV, film, music, books, and more. Collectively, we have decades of experience writing about movies and television—from reviewing new releases and crafting hot takes on industry trends, to writing retrospectives about excellent shows no longer on air and interviewing stars and behind-the-scenes talent. Members of our team pride themselves on having deep knowledge of pop culture history and being part of associations like the Television Critics Association and GALECA. You can trust that we’ve triple-checked all of the information included in our explainers with trusted sources, and we have our eyes glued to Lili Reinhart’s feed for any updates on our next favorite romance movie.
