It Ends With Us: Everything We Know About the Movie Adaptation Starring Blake Lively

Blake Lively has officially signed on for the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s #BookTok famous “romance” novel It Ends With Us—which means we have a lot to talk about. 

The 2016 novel follows a successful small-business owner named Lily Bloom, who finds herself falling for the devastatingly handsome but controlling neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid. The book documents Lily's tumultuous marriage to Ryle as her childhood friend, Atlas Corrigan, reenters the picture. 

Years after it was first published, It Ends With Us shot to the top of the bestseller list after it gained renewed popularity on TikTok, according to BuzzFeed News. In January 2023 Hoover held the top three spots on the New York Times paperback fiction bestseller list with It Ends With Us, the sequel, It Starts With Us, and her unrelated thriller, Verity. As of January 28, It Ends With Us has held its spot as a bestseller for 90 weeks.

Given its popularity, it was only a matter of time before it made its way to the big screen. Here's everything we know.

Who is involved? On January 26, Deadline announced that Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni (who you may recognize from Jane the Virgin) have been cast in the lead roles, with Baldoni also set to direct. 

In an emotional Instagram video taken outside her childhood home, Hoover gave the news to her fans directly. “Our Lily is going to be played by Blake Lively. Blake Lively, y'all. She's my dream Lily,” Hoover confirmed. “When I first met Justin Baldoni, who is directing the film for It Ends With Us, I immediately wanted him to be Ryle.”

Shortly after the announcement was made, Lively made a rather cryptic Instagram post of her own, seemingly sharing a fresh brunette dye job.

As for who will play Atlas, A Walk to Remember star Shane West has already volunteered in a cheeky Instagram comment, per People.

Is there any footage? Not yet, but Hoover promises to tease as much as she can. “I think that Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively have what it takes to bring these characters to life and I cannot wait for you guys to see that happen,” Hoover said in her Instagram video. “I’m going to do my best to sneak y’all as much footage as I can without getting kicked off the set. I’m so excited, y’all.”

What’s this I’m hearing about a coloring book controversy? Hoover faced backlash after announcing that It Ends With Us would be made into a coloring book on January 10. According to Today, fans were quick to point out that this “romanticizes” domestic violence, which is a major aspect of the novel. One Twitter user described the idea as “beyond tone-deaf and harmful.”

By January 11, Hoover and Atria Books announced the coloring book would no longer be moving forward. “The coloring book was developed with Lily’s strength in mind, but I can absolutely see how this was tone-deaf,” Hoover wrote in an Instagram story. “I hear you guys and I agree with you. No excuses. No finger pointing. I have contacted the publisher to let them know I would prefer we don’t move forward with it. Thank you for the respectful discourse and accountability. Nothing but love.”

This isn't the first time Hoover has been accused of romanticizing the abusive relationship between Lily and Ryle. While TikTok is largely responsible for the book's resurgence, it's also where many book lovers go to criticize the author. The domestic violence resource domesticshelters.org also slammed the book, writing, “It Ends With Us feeds into the very structures of toxic masculinity that it purports to combat.”

“I don’t expect everyone to like my books, so if someone doesn’t, it isn’t my job to deal with them,” Hoover told Glamour in February 2022. “That is their right, and I respect that. I put 100% of the focus into the people who do enjoy my books, and I do my very best to make those people happy.”

In fact, not everyone is happy Lively and Baldoni are involved with the project.

This post will be updated.