'It Ends With Us' Casts Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni as Leads for the Adaptation of the Best-Selling Colleen Hoover Novel

by Darian Scalamoni

    It Ends With Us became a cultural phenomenon in 2022, putting author Colleen Hoover atop many bestseller lists including number one on the NY Times bestseller list. Though the film was originally released in 2016, it found new success in a massive campaign on the social media app, TikTok, bringing five of Hoover's books to the top of the charts last year. Hoover has become the best-selling novelist in the U.S. with over 20 million books sold and her most popular novel is finally being adapted to film.

    According to Deadline, It Ends With Us is being adapted into a feature film with Blake Lively (Gossip Girl, The Age of Adaline) being cast alongside Justin Baldoni (Jane the Virgin) to play lead characters, Lily and Ryle. Baldoni will also direct the film from a script written by Christy Hall (I Am Not Okay with This, Daddio). Baldoni previously directed Five Feet Apart and the Disney+ film, Clouds. 

    It Ends With Us follows a girl named Lily who has just moved and is ready to begin her life post-college when she falls for a man named Ryle. However, as Lily starts to gain feelings for Ryle, her first-love, Atlas, comes back into her life forcing Lily to choose between the two. Though the novel had regained popularity this past year being on the NY Times Bestseller list for over 90 weeks, Hoover's book was originally optioned for a film adaptation back in 2019 following its 2016 release.

    Lively hasn't acted in a film since 2020's The Rhythm Section, however, she has multiple projects in development. In addition to It Ends With Us, Lively will star in Kat Coiro's crime drama adaptation, The Husband's Secret based on the Liane Moriarty novel as well as The Making Of alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda, Richard Gere and Diane Keaton. She will also reprise her role in A Simple Favor for the sequel in which Paul Feig will return to direct.

    Baldoni is best known for playing Rafael in The CW comedy series, Jane the Virgin but hasn't been in front of the camera since 2019. He recently directed biographical dramatic true story Clouds which streamed on Disney+ and was based on the life of Zach Sobiech. He also directed the romantic drama film Five Feet Apart starring Haley Lu Richardson and Cole Sprouse. 

    What are your thoughts on Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's casting in It Ends With Us based on the popular Colleen Hoover novel? Who would you like to see play Atlas in the film? Let us know in the comments!