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 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 took place throughout summer 2025. (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. Read on for everything we know about The Love Hypothesis movie adaptation so far.
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 pseudonym, 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.) According to Vulture, Hazelwood's agent reached out after the then-fanfic author expressed her interest in reworking her fics for traditional publishing. Not only did The Love Hypothesis's success help propel a Reylo trend in publishing, but Hazelwood has also since transitioned to writing full-time, publishing nine books and four novellas in the past four years.
When will 'The Love Hypothesis' film be released?
Amazon MGM Studios and MRC have yet to announce when The Love Hypothesis movie will arrive on our screens. However, we do know that it'll arrive sometime this year. Star Lili Reinhart frequently shared TikToks from set throughout filming, including one teasing a 2026 release date.
In the clip from September 2025, the Riverdale alum looks happy, spinning in circles outdoors with the words "The Summer I Filmed The Love Hypothesis" overlaying. She added in the caption, "glad everyone enjoyed my summer of Adam & Olive tiktoks 🫒 @The Love Hypothesis coming sometime in 2026 💘."
It's unclear when the film might premiere, but sometime by this summer feels feasible. Thanks to plentiful updates from the cast, we know that production began in July and wrapped in early September. Considering rom-coms tend to be low-lift in post-production, it shouldn't be too much longer until we can tune into Adam and Olive's love story.
Who is in the cast of 'The Love Hypothesis' adaptation?
On July 16, 2025, Deadline announced that Riverdale alum Lili Reinhart 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 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. She's since spoken out about her husband starring in Reylo fanfic, noting that she was aware of it, but had forgotten what it was by the time he booked the role.)
Rounding out the cast in unconfirmed roles are Adults's Rachel Marsh, The White Lotus's Nicholas Duvernay, internet legend/comedian 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."
What has Lili Reinhart said about 'The Love Hypothesis?'
If any of her many TikToks are an indication, it looks like Reinhart had a blast making The Love Hypothesis. But the star has also opened up about the process and hinted at what fans can expect.
While speaking to V Magazine in January 2026, she shared, "It’s not my typical genre, but I appreciate a really good romantic comedy. I felt like this was a chance to change the perception of the streamer rom-com and do something more elevated."
She also explained that, as a producer, she felt like she had agency to speak about what felt right for her as an actress, and hopefully make the best version of the film. "I tried to make the story as grounded as possible [even if it meant telling people] 'these words don’t feel organic coming out of my mouth,'" she told the outlet.
While speaking to us at Marie Claire for her Next Gen Issue cover story, Reinhart also teased the highly anticipated chemistry between Adam and Olive. "I'm just excited for people to see what we actually did with the film, and I hope they like it," she said in a Marie Claire video segment. "But we were aware of the vibes that people were expecting of Adam and Olive, and I think we did them justice." (A.K.A. it sounds like we're in for one spicy rom-com!)
Where can I watch 'The Love Hypothesis' film?
The studios have yet to confirm whether the film will receive a theatrical release or head straight to streaming on Prime Video. Based on Reinhart's comments to V Magazine, in which she described the film as a "streamer rom-com," signs might point to a Prime Video release. Nothing is formally announced yet, though. (A quick plea to the higher-ups: Let us see this in theaters! You don't need to pull another The Idea of You.)
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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.
