Anna Kendrick is stepping in to direct the The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
Netflix announced Monday that the star will helm the film adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s 2017 best-selling novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
Little Fires Everywhere creator, showrunner and executive producer Liz Tigelaar will write the film, with current revisions by Francesca Sloane. Producers include Liza Chasin for 3Dot Productions and Brad Mendelsohn for Circle of Confusion. Reid and Margaret Chernin will exec produce. Reid will also exec produce.
Kendrick directing is the latest update with the adaptation. The best-selling novel was previously in development for a series on Freeform with The L Word‘s Ilene Chaiken and Jennifer Beals exec producing. Kendrick made her directorial debut with Woman of the Hour which released on Netflix in late 2024.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo centers on reclusive, iconic Hollywood starlet Evelyn Hugo, who enlists unknown reporter Monique Grant to write her tell-all book, which will chronicle her life story and rise to fame during the golden age of Hollywood. Always the subject of tabloids, Evelyn also details for the first time her seven marriages, revealing secrets she’s held on to, who she is behind the scenes and why she chose Monique for her final confession.
Though casting for the film has yet to be publicly announced, fans have been quick to pinpoint certain Hollywood stars as their picks to portray the book’s characters, most notably Jessica Chastain, Ana de Armas and Eiza González.
During an interview with E! News in 2023, Chastain said that there is “zero possibility” that she would star in the adaptation as Celia St. James but loved to see how “wonderful” the book’s fanbase is.
Meanwhile both de Armas and González have expressed being open to starring in the film for the titular role. ”It’d be such an honor,” González has said. “I love the book. I love all [Reid’s] stuff. I’m a huge fan.”
Evelyn Hugo is just one of a number of Reid’s books to be adapted for the screen. Carrie Soto is Back is in development as a TV series for Netflix with Amanda Kate Shuman writing and Serena Williams exec producing. The Hollywood Reporter exclusively revealed that Reid’s novel Malibu Rising is being developed as a TV series for Hulu, with Taylor adapting and executive producing alongside Circle of Confusion. The author’s novel One True Loves was adapted for film and starred Hamilton‘s Phillipa Soo, Shang Chi’s Simu Liu and Holidate‘s Luke Bracey. Meanwhile, her best-seller Daisy Jones and the Six was released as a Prime Video series that starred Riley Keough and Sam Claflin.
Reid has sold over 24 million copies worldwide in 43 languages (including English) with her books also being selected for the GMA Book Club, Reese Witherspoon’s book club and Read with Jenna, Jenna Bush Hager’s book club.
