Blake Lively-Fronted Adaptation of Beloved Book Gets Delayed

The upcoming romance-drama It Ends With Us has been delayed, and will now premiere on June 21, 2024 only in theaters. The movie was previously scheduled for release on Feb. 9, but PEOPLE reported that it has now been pushed back several months. It’s not clear why, but Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have been spotted shooting scenes for this film as recently as last month, so they may need quite a bit more time to finish it up.

Baldoni is directing It Ends With Us – an adaptation of the 2016 novel by the same name by author Colleen Hoover. He also co-stars with Lively in a tragic story about love, manipulation, abuse and generational trauma. Lively plays Lilly Bloom, a young woman caught up in grieving for her father, trying to get her own small business off the ground and falling into a confusing new romance all at the same time. The official synopsis reads: “After a troubling incident of abuse reminds her of her dark past, she must decide if love alone can carry her marriage through. Further complicating things is the return of her first love into her life: a man who she took in many years prior when he was homeless.”

Lively plays Lily, who has been aged up for the purposes of this adaptation. Actor Justin Baldoni plays Ryle Kincaid, the man she falls in love with and eventually marries. Baldoni also directed the movie, while writer Christy Hall adapted the novel into a screenplay. Other stars include Brandon Sklenar as Lily’s past lover who unexpectedly returns to her life, Jenny Slate as Ryle’s sister Allysa and Hasan Minhaj as Marshall.

This adaptation has been in the works for a while, but most of the casting and other details were confirmed in January of 2023. At that time, Hoover posted a video on Instagram saying: “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. I’m so excited, y’all. I can’t even wrap my mind around this.”

Hoover also addressed the age difference between the characters in her novel and those in the movie. During a publishing festival in June, she said: “Back when I wrote It Ends With Us, the new adult [genre] was very popular. You were writing college-age characters. That’s what I was contracted to do. I made Lily very young. I didn’t know that neurosurgeons went to school for 50 years. There’s not a 20-something neurosurgeon.”

It Ends With Us is available now in print, digital and audiobook formats. The film adaptation will hit theaters on June 21, 2024.