More than a year has passed since it was confirmed that Netflix was developing a film adaptation of author Taylor Jenkins Reid‘s novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. The book, released in 2017, became a major bestseller and has been raved about on BookTok. While little news regarding the movie has surfaced since that original announcement, Jenkins Reid recently confirmed that there is a “short list of women” for the roles of Evelyn Hugo and Celia St. James.
Jenkins Reid opened up about the film’s casting back on March 1 when she sat down with the Associated Press amid the release of Amazon Prime Video’s adaptation of her sixth novel, Daisy Jones & The Six. Asked about the current status of Evelyn Hugo‘s casting, Reid confirmed that “there is no news to tell you.” The best-selling author shared that “who is going to play Evelyn Hugo and who might play Celia St. James are always in the forefront of my mind,” adding that “they’re some of the most exciting questions that Brad (Mendelsohn) and I deal with on a daily basis. But there is no definitive answer. There’s just a short list of women that I am incredibly, incredibly excited about. And, you know, hopefully we will make that decision soon.”
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Jenkins Reid’s March comments were not the first time the author has addressed casting for the series. Speaking with Marie Claire back in September, Jenkins Reid acknowledged the ongoing social media chatter and fancastings that have taken place ever since an adaptation was first confirmed to be in the works at Freeform. That series adaptation was ultimately scrapped, with Netflix picking up a movie adaptation in March 2022.
“You know, I try not to look, because there’s a fervor that I think is well intended, but sometimes is so intense that it gets overwhelming. I start to feel like, ‘Oh, God, if I don’t do what you want me to do, you’re going to be mad at me’. So, I try not to look at it, but I look enough so that I’m taking the temperature at any given time,” she said. “And look, the reason why people are talking is because people care. I am so lucky and that’s what I take from it. There’s really nothing more you can ask of an audience than that.”
While no casting announcements have been made, there are certainly some top contenders for the various roles, at least according to fans of the book on social media. Rita Moreno has been fancast in the role of an older Evelyn, who throughout the book series sits down with journalist Monique Grant to tell her life story, including the stories and secrets surrounding her seven marriages and her one true love. Ana de Armas is a top-pick among book readers for a younger version of the character, with Eiza Gonzalez also rising as a popular choice. For the role of Celia St. James, Evelyn’s secret lover, Saoirse Ronan and Anya Taylor-Joy are favorites for a younger version for the character. While Jessica Chastain had been considered a possible choice among fans for a more mature version of the character during the later years of the book, the actress recently said she is “not doing” the movie. Other fancastings include Harry Styles as singer Mick Riva, who appears in three of Jenkins Reid’s other novels as part of an interconnected body of work, Raven Goodwin or Nathalie Emmanuel as Monique, and Oscar Isaac or Scott Eastwood as Don Adler, Evelyn’s second husband.
Netflix’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo movie was first confirmed in March 2022. Little Fires Everywhere creator, showrunner and executive producer Liz Tigelaar is attached to the project as writer, with Liza Chasin set to produce or 3Dot Productions and Brad Mendelsohn for Circle of Confusion. Reid and Margaret Chernin will serve as executive producers.
