Are you ready for the The Idea of You movie adaptation? There are quite a few things we know about the movie.
There seems to be a trend going around – and it’s what I like to call the “fanfiction to book to movie pipeline.” As an avid reader of fanfiction (guilty as charged), I have seen this repeatedly, where a particular idea is spun off into a book, which is usually based on the love of a specific story or a person.
It happened with the Fifty Shades of Grey series by E.L. James, famously based on Twilight fanfiction. And now, the biggest recent example has been the After movies – based on Harry Styles fanfiction.
Next up, we have The Idea of You, which is based on the book of the same name by Robinne Lee. While it wasn’t fanfiction originally, the novel was inspired by singer Harry Styles and was published online first, like many of these other novels, according to Vogue. The film will star Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine, but who else will co-star? And what is this movie going to be about? Here is what we know so far about The Idea of You.
What Is The Idea Of You Release Date?
As of October 2023, there is no set release date for The Idea of You.
Honestly, it’s a surprise. As we’ll get into later on, the film was filmed in 2022, so it would make sense to be a part of the 2023 movie release schedule. However, we have yet to get an official date.
Even so, the movie will release on Amazon Prime, which has had a heck of a 2023 in terms of film. They released Red, White & Royal Blue, making us feel all the feelings and continued to be a massive step in representation for LGBTQ+ in movies. The streaming service is also set to release several other films later this year, including the Eddie Murphy-led Candy Cane Lane and the drama The Burial.
A part of me thinks they might be saving this for a 2024 release, but only time will tell.
Anne Hathaway And Nicholas Galitzine Star
As the introduction mentions, Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine will star in The Idea of You. Hathaway’s casting announcement came out in June 2021 from Deadline, when the movie was confirmed to be happening. Galitzine was confirmed to star alongside her in September 2022, according to Deadline.
Hathaway will play a 40-year-old divorced mother named Sophie, and Galitzine will play Hayes Campbell, the lead singer of a boyband.
These two actors have done so much in movies and television. Anne Hathaway has done many great films, from her time in the Devil Wears Prada to her Academy Award-winning performance as part of the Les Misérables cast. The actress has already had a 2023 release with the movie She Came To Me alongside Peter Dinklage.
Galitzine has made a considerable name for himself over the last few years. He was a part of the Cinderella adaptation on Amazon Prime, but aside from that, he was also one of the stars of the Bottoms cast in 2023 and was one of the co-leads of Red, White & Royal Blue, as well as the 2022 Netflix release Purple Hearts.
Honestly, these two make perfect sense as far as casting choices – and I can’t wait to see the chemistry they bring to the screen.
Ella Rubin, Jaiden Anthony And More Co-Star
Aside from Nicholas Galitzine and Anne Hathaway, numerous names were announced to co-star alongside the two in The Idea of You. The Hollywood Reporter announced several actors in early October 2022, confirming that Jaiden Anthony, Raymond Cham, Vik White, and Dakota Adan would sign on to round out the boy band in the movie.
Variety reported in mid-October 2022 that Ella Rubin had joined the cast, where she will play Sophie’s daughter, Izzy. The character is the primary catalyst for how Sophie meets Hayes.
And in late October 2022, Variety announced four other actors who would join. These include Annie Mumolo, Reid Scott, Perry Mattfeld, and Jordan Aaron Hall. It seems this cast is already fit to become a huge success.
The Idea Of You Is Based On The Book Of The Same Name By Robinne Lee
As confirmed in the Deadline article regarding Hathaway’s casting and the Vogue story above, The Idea of You is based on the book of the same name, written by Robinne Lee.
The movie will follow a divorced 40-year-old mother named Sophie who has to take her daughter, Izzy, to a music festival when Izzy’s father cancels. Sophie does so, and it’s there that she ends up meeting Hayes Campbell, the lead singer of the most popular boy band, August Moon. There, she enters a whirlwind romance that follows her learning how to reclaim her sexuality.
While there have been rumors that the movie is based on fanfiction, the author has said it was never meant to be that. Robinne Lee, in that same interview with Vogue, said that Harry Styles only inspired her for the character of Hayes. The book was about female empowerment and learning how to rediscover your body after a certain age:
This was never supposed to be a book about Harry Styles…It was supposed to be a story about a woman approaching 40 and reclaiming her sexuality and rediscovering herself, just at the point that society traditionally writes women off as desirable and viable and whole.
I can understand that – and I can also see why most people would believe this movie is based on fanfiction, based on the premise.
Michael Showalter Is Directing
Confirmed by Deadline in August 2022, it was announced that Michael Showalter would direct The Idea of You. The director has done several films, such as Spoiler Alert, Wet Hot American Summer, The Eyes Of Tammy Faye, and The Big Sick. So The Idea of You is in good hands.
Filming Took Place Took Place In 2022
The last thing we know is that filming for The Idea of You took place in 2022. The Deadline article regarding Galitzine’s casting said that production was expected to begin in October 2022. E News confirmed that it had started from behind-the-scenes pictures of Hathaway and Galitzine kissing in the rain.
In December 2022, Galitzine posted a celebratory picture on the last day of filming on Instagram, saying that it was a “wrap” on the movie:
Anne Hathaway also responded to the post, saying, “Lol I had just finished crying my eyes out on and off camera, but this is such a sweet photo! Love this.”
The movie may still need to set a release date, but I am counting down the days until we get one. I’m already aching to see a trailer for this movie – we need to see this new story, and I need to see Anne Hathaway kill it alongside Galitzine. Let’s freaking go.