The eagerly anticipated adaptation of a beloved book, whose success increased thanks to its popularity on BookTok, has hit a new obstacle. Book adaptations have long been a staple within Hollywood, and recent months have seen the release and development of several major тιтles. Though it is now at the center of several lawsuits, the movie version of Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us became a runaway hit in the summer of 2024, grossing $349.7 million worldwide and prompting the fast-tracked development of other adaptations of the romance author’s work.

Netflix has recently made headlines for a number of new projects it has in development, as the streamer has acquired the rights for both the romantasy hit Quicksilver and the dark romance series Twisted Love. Additionally, Paramount’s Children of Blood and Bone movie, which first entered development at Fox 2000 in 2017, just got a huge boost by casting 12 stars, including Cynthia Erivo, Viola Davis, and Idris Elba. However, not every project has enjoyed a smooth path forward.

The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo Loses Its Director

Leslye Headland Joined The Project In 2023

Netflix’s adaptation of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo has been in the works since 2022, but it now faces a large setback. Written by Taylor Jenkins Reid, the book follows journalist Monique as she sits down with legendary Hollywood star Evelyn Hugo and hears her life story. Though Evelyn is best known for being an onscreen bombshell and for her many husbands, it soon becomes apparent there is more to her story. The book was published in 2017, but recent years have seen it explode in popularity thanks to its presence on the reading side of TikTok, known as BookTok.

The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland was tapped to direct The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in 2023, but she now confirms she’s stepped away. Speaking to Variety about her recent Broadway play Cult of Love, Headland admits that she is no longer involved with the project, though she remains a big fan of the source material. She said:

I am no longer working on that project. I remain a huge, huge fan of the book and of the people working on it. It’s one of those things where you know it’s going to be a huge success. I thought, “Damn it. It’s not going to work out with me involved in it, but it is going to be wildly successful.” It is the type of book that if I’d read it in my twenties, I would have had a completely different life. It’s so beautifully done.

Our Take On Headland’s Evelyn Hugo Exit

It’s Disappointing, But Could Have A Positive Side

Coming from someone who has been waiting years to see The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo get brought to screen, Headland’s departure is a big disappointment. Now is the perfect time to adapt this story of sweeping romance and Hollywood history, yet the project has struggled to come to fruition; before Netflix was developing a movie, a TV adaptation of Reid’s book was in the works at Freeform.

However, as Headland spent recent years working on The Acolyte and Cult of Love, perhaps her exit actually has a silver lining. She’s a very busy writer and director, and so perhaps The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was unable to move forward due to her schedule. Now that she has left, Netflix can find another director and continue development. Though I loved Headland’s work on Cult of Love and am sad to see her go, I have hope there is still a future for Evelyn Hugo.

Source: Variety