Everything to Know About The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Movie

Another one of author Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novels is hitting screens worldwide!

Reid’s bestselling book, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, will be adapted for the big screen by Netflix, the streaming service announced in March 2022. The book was published in 2017 but found a resurgence in popularity in 2021 after it went viral on TikTok.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo marks the second of Reid’s books to be adapted for the screen. Reid’s 2019 novel Daisy Jones & The Six made a splash when Prime Video released a TV show based on the book in December 2022, starring Riley Keough and Sam Claflin.

While little is known about the movie, Netflix did announce that Reid would be involved with the adaptation as an executive producer. Though no actors have publicly been cast, fans have picked favorites to play various roles in the novel, from Ana de Armas to Jessica Chastain.

The book, which takes place in both the 1950s and present day, tells the story of Hollywood star Evelyn Hugo and her seven marriages — including one big secret. The protagonist of the book has been compared to Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe.

From where it will stream to who has been rumored to join the cast, here’s everything to know about the highly anticipated The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo movie.

What is The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo about?

The 2017 novel tells the story of a now-reclusive Evelyn Hugo, who in her old age has shied away from the spotlight after being an icon in 1950s Hollywood. Hugo enlists amateur journalist Monique Grant to write her biography, including the tale of all seven of her marriages, dividing the book into seven parts. She reveals secrets she’s never shared before, including the bombshell truth of why she chose Grant for the task. 

The story has become special to the LGBTQ community as it explores various types of relationships and paints a picture of what an LGBTQ actor’s existence in Hollywood looked like in the mid-20th century. 

Though the book came out in 2017, its resurgence in 2021 on “BookTok” made it a best-seller, much to Reid’s surprise. 

“Everyone started scrambling, just going, ‘How did that happen?’ ” Reid told The Times about her book making The New York Times best-seller list four years after its publication. “And nobody had any answers. Nobody could figure it out. And then my manager calls me and says, ‘Have you looked your book up on TikTok?’ ”

Is The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo based on a true story?

While the novel is not based on a true story, readers have drawn comparisons between Hugo and real celebrities from her era. Though Reid has not confirmed the theories, fans have pointed out that Hugo draws similarities with Elizabeth Taylor, who also married seven times, Ava Gardner, who revealed her past secrets to journalist and her future biographer Peter Evans in her old age and Rita Hayworth, who also changed her Hispanic name and appearance to be more American so she could be more successful in Hollywood.

When will The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo release?

No release date has been announced for the film, but Netflix announced in March 2022 that they greenlit the film after it was previously in development for a series on Freeform led by The L Word’s Ilene Chaiken and Jennifer Beals.

Who is making The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo?

The Hollywood Reporter reported that Little Fires Everywhere showrunner and executive producer Liz Tigelaar would be writing the script. Tigelaar adapted Celeste Ng’s novel of the same name for Hulu’s limited series starring Kerry Washington. Meanwhile, Reid is slated to be an executive producer alongside Margaret Chernin.

In June 2023, Netflix announced that Leslye Headland will direct the movie. She previously worked on Netflix's hit show Russian Doll, as well as films About Last Night and Sleeping With Other People

Who is in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo?

While the cast has not yet been announced, fans have taken it upon themselves to fill in who they would like to see in the lead roles of the film. For the role of Evelyn Hugo, who is described as a Cuban-American woman with a passionate and sultry personality, fans have proposed Ana de Armas, Sofia Vergara and Salma Hayek as options.

Fans have also dream cast Jessica Chastain as Celia St. James, Hugo’s rival and (spoiler) longtime lover. The actress even gave readers hope in January 2023 when she told host Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live that she wouldn’t rule out the part if a good script came along. 

“Jessica, are you aware — we got this a lot — of how many people want you to play Celia St. James in the film adaptation of the novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo?” Cohen asked The Good Nurse actress, who responded, “I do know there is an online thing about it. Sure, send me a script.”

The novel's fans took this as a promising sign and have since even asked her to sign their copies of the book — which Chastain has started refusing to do, clarifying that she is not involved with the movie. After a TikTok of her politely telling a fan she couldn’t sign her copy of the book “just because [she’s] not doing it” went viral, Chastain took to Twitter to explain the situation further. 

“I've been asked multiple times by fans, to sign books that I'm not attached to contractually," wrote Chastain. "Because it feels wrong, and like I'm taking credit for someone else's work, I'll say I can't sign because I'm not doing it. That doesn't mean I've read a bad script."

"I know how excited many [of] you are about adaptations. Please dont read too much into a video. There is no news about anything. Except that I'm onstage until June 10th. Hope to see you 🤍 #ADollsHouse," she added in a follow-up tweet, sharing that she was working on her Broadway show until the early summer.

A year after she expressed interest to Cohen, Chastain doubled down that there was "zero possibility" that she would star in the movie adaptation.

"But I love how excited the fans are," she told E! News in December 2023. "When I was working on Broadway, every single day, they'd be outside, when I was signing, with the books. I just love how wonderful that fan base is."

She added, "I look forward to watching it and I'm sorry to disappoint everyone out there!"

Where can I watch The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo?

The film will premiere on Netflix, though the streamer has yet to announce a release date.