The After series has a long (and fascinating to the right audience) origin story. It doesn't just begin with the publication of the source novels, the first of which was released in 2014, but it also existed in a previous form. The story was originally fanfiction based on the band One Direction published on the site Wattpad. Anna Todd, the author of the series, started publishing chapters of the story in 2013, and before she'd even wrapped it up, she had sold the rights to formally publish it as a novel. This is how we ended up with the love interest Hardin Scott, whose initials conveniently match with those of Harry Styles.
After certainly isn't the first or last fanfiction to go from the web, to traditional publishing, to a movie adaptation — think of 50 Shades of Grey, which was based on Twilight, or The Love Hypothesis, which came from Star Wars. The romances that come through this channel are often appealing because they tend to be pure entertainment that hasn't gone through as many rounds of editing as the majority of what gets published, as well as being highly explicit.
To take a deeper dive into the After series and get a better understanding of what happened when, take a look at this guide to the movies in order of release date and where they place in the story's timeline.
After Movies in Chronological Order and by Release Date
- After (2019)
- After We Collided (2020)
- After We Fell (2021)
- After Ever Happy (2022)
- After Everything (2023)
After (2019)
On April 12, 2019, the first After movie was released, and it was the first to be released as well as the beginning of the story. The screenplay for this installment was written by Susan McMartin, Tamara Chestna, Tom Betterton, and Jenny Gage, with the latter also directing the project. This is where we meet our protagonist Tessa, played by Josephine Langford, a young woman heading off to college in Washington (a popular setting after the success of Twilight).
Once she arrives, she meets Hardin (played by Hero Fiennes Tiffin), a friend of her roommate and a textbook bad boy, and the pair begin their tumultuous relationship. Hardin himself doesn't bear much of a resemblance to Harry Styles as a person — they're both from England and have tattoos, but that's about as far as the connections go.
After We Collided (2020)
After We Collided, the second movie in the series and second to be released, came out on October 23, 2020. Here, we continue to follow the epic highs and lows of Tessa and Hardin's relationship as the two reconcile after the big reveal at the end of the first movie. This time, the screenplay has contributions from Anna Todd, working with Mario Celaya, and Roger Kumble (Cruel Intentions) takes on the director's role.
It's here that the series really starts to lean into its roots, which has positives and negatives. On the one hand, it makes for great entertainment; whether you're watching for the romance or to have a laugh, everything is hammed up to 1000. On the other hand, you have to have a high tolerance for repetition as almost the entire plot follows the same pattern of Tessa and Hardin are happy for a day, he gets angry and they fight, they spend time apart, and they make up.
After We Fell (2021)
Up next is After We Fell, which was released on October 22, 2021. Sharon Soboil is in charge of this screenplay, with director Castille Landon entering the scene, too. This picks up right where After We Collided left off, with the re-entry of Tessa's father into her life. At this point, he is homeless and is invited to stay with them for a while. Also happening is Tessa's impending move to Seattle because of a job opportunity, which puts both literal and metaphorical distance between the couple. Much of the action is devoted to Hardin finally understanding how poorly he treats Tessa and attempting to get his anger issues under control.
One of the main reasons the series is controversial is because of Hardin's treatment of Tessa. Addressing this in an interview with Refinery29, author Todd argues, "I'm not writing books to be a good example [...] It’s just the story that I’m telling." Finally, as is traditional at this point, the movie ends with a shock reveal about Hardin's family.
After Ever Happy (2022)
The penultimate installment in the series, After Ever Happy, came out on September 7, 2022. This marks the first time a director and screenwriter stayed for a second round, with both Sharon Soboil and Castille Landon returning. Picking up from the big reveal in After We Fell, we see the fall-out and inevitable break up that ensues. This leads to Tessa moving to New York City and Hardin finally getting sober and going to Alcoholics Anonymous, about which, Hero Fiennes Tiffin tells Entertainment Weekly that Hardin is "getting closer to being that best version of himself."
When they reunite, as they always do, they discover that some of their differences have subsided and start to reconnect. Unfortunately, Tessa discovers something shocking that means she terminates their relationship completely.
After Everything (2023)
With a release date of September 13th 2023, the culmination of the whole series is After Everything. Castille Landon continues her directing streak, but also wrote the screenplay this time, and interestingly, this is the only movie in the series to not be based on one of the original novels. Here, Hardin is determined to win Tessa back, but she is just as determined to move on from him. In order to try and improve himself, Hardin gets in contact with his first love, Nathalie, to make amends.
Deciding to veer from the source material for the finale is an interesting choice, but the movies have always catered to fans whether it's keeping something the same or changing it, the filmmakers know their target audience.