A movie adaptation of It Ends with Us is coming soon, but fans are already unhappy with it due to the casting of the film’s main character. The upcoming movie is based on Colleen Hoover’s 2016 book of the same name and will feature an objectively impressive cast that includes a handful of big names. However, one aspect of the actress who is set to play the female lead has disappointed those who read and loved Hoover’s romance novel.
Justin Baldoni, known for his role as Rafael in Jane the Virgin and for directing the romance dramas Five Feet Apart and Clouds, will continue exploring behind-the-scenes work with It Ends with Us. The actor and filmmaker’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, optioned Hoover’s book for a film adaptation in 2019, and the project is finally coming together. Baldoni is directing the movie and starring as Ryle Kincaid. Other cast members include Brandon Sklenar as Atlas Corrigan, Jenny Slate as Allysa, and Hasan Minhaj as Marshall. But the actress playing Lily Bloom, the novel’s protagonist, has not been well-received by fans.
It Ends With Us Readers Think Blake Lively Is Too Old For The Role
Gossip Girl‘s Blake Lively was cast to play Lily Bloom in the film adaptation of It Ends with Us in early 2023, and backlash against the decision immediately spread throughout the fanbase of Hoover’s book. Readers are frustrated with the notion of Lively portraying Lily because they believe she is too old for the role. In the romance novel, Lily is fresh out of college, placing her in her early 20s. In real life, Lively is 36, making her almost 15 years older than her character’s age in the book.
The adaptation is seemingly changing the ages of the story’s main characters. While Lily and Ryle Kincaid are supposed to be 23 and 30 years old, respectively, in Hoover’s novel, Lively and Justin Baldoni are in their mid-to-late-30s. It’s unclear if anything else about It Ends with Us‘s narrative will change in the upcoming movie. But given the reaction to Lively’s casting, any small detail out of place could cause friction in the book’s fanbase.
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The Author Said She Made A Mistake Making Lily So Young In The Book
Following the backlash to Blake Lively’s casting in It Ends with Us, Colleen Hoover addressed the age change for Lily’s character. During an interview with Today, the author said:
“Back when I wrote ‘It Ends With Us,’ the new adult (genre) was very popular. You were writing college-age characters. That’s what I was contracted to do. I made Lily very young. I didn’t know that neurosurgeons went to school for 50 years. There’s not a 20-something neurosurgeon. As I started making this movie, I’m like, we need to age them out, because I messed up. So that’s my fault.”
Even though the two main characters will be older in the film adaptation than in the book, their story will likely be the same. Ryle will still be a neurosurgeon, and he and Lily will begin a fraught and turbulent relationship. However, only time will tell if book fans are completely satisfied with It Ends with Us.
