Old Flames and Bad Habits Unravel Blake Lively’s Fairytale Romance in ‘It Ends With Us’ Trailer
The first trailer for the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover‘s popular book It Ends With Us features an ominous soundtrack. In the first few moments of the preview — shared ahead of the film’s theatrical release on Aug. 9 — Lily Bloom (Blake Lively) is settling into her newly-opened Boston flower shop when she meets Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni), one of the location’s first visitors who will change her life forever. About one minute into the trailer, Taylor Swift’s Folklore deep cut “My Tears Ricochet” strips away the fluff of any potential fairytale romance.
“Even on my worst day, did I deserve, babe, all the hell you gave me?” Swift asks in a particularly stabbing lyric, which plays as Ryle is spinning a web of lies to tell Lily in order to cover up his abuse. Elsewhere in the clip, she asks him: “If one day you had a daughter, what would you say to her? If she came to you and said the person she loved was hurting her — what would you say to her?” The narrative becomes even more complicated when Lily reconnects with her first love, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), who decides he’s willing to fight for her.
In addition to starring in the film, Baldoni directed It Ends With Us. Development on the project began in July 2019, about three years after Hoover released the novel but one year before it saw a massive surge in popularity during the pandemic thanks — at least in part — to BookTok. With a script adapted by Christy Hall, the film also features Jenny Slate and Hasan Minhaj.
“Everyone involved has been so dedicated about making this adaptation as faithful and heartfelt as possible,” Hoover told People last month. “It’s been a true team effort, and I can’t wait for those who loved the book to see the movie and experience the magic they’ve created on the big screen.”
She added: “There aren’t enough words to describe her phenomenal talent. Blake Lively truly brought Lily Bloom to life in a way that exceeded all my expectations … When I wrote Lily’s character, I thought I had a fairly solid image in mind. But Blake’s portrayal added so much depth and complexity to the character that I didn’t even anticipate.”