10 million copies sold worldwide: the adaptation of Nevermore It Ends with Us with Blake Lively is to be seen at the cinema – Actus Ciné

After being a success in bookstores with more than 10 million copies sold* worldwide since its release in 2016, the bestseller It ends with us by Colleen Hoover is coming to the cinema.

Starring Blake Lively, Justin Badoni (who also directs), Brandon Sklenar, Jenny Slate, Amy Morton and Hasan Minhaj, the film follows Lily Bloom, a young woman who had a difficult childhood thanks to her abusive father. She embarks on a new life in Boston where she realizes her dream of opening a flower shop. A chance encounter with charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni) sparks an intense connection – but as the two fall deeply in love, Lily begins to see aspects of Ryle that remind her of her parents' relationship. When Lily's first love Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar) suddenly reappears in her life, her relationship with Ryle is turned upside down and Lily realizes she must learn to rely on her own strength and make an impossible choice about her future.

A popular novel thanks to TikTok…

Translated into more than 20 languages, this novel of literature Young adults on domestic violence published in 2016 was a real success, particularly thanks to TikTok…

In 2019, “Never again – It Ends With Us” had already sold over a million copies worldwide, but in 2021 the novel – and other works by Colleen Hoover in general – have seen a surge in popularity thanks to the attention of the #BookTok community on TikTok.

The novel now has over a billion tags on the app. It spent 140 weeks on the bestseller list. New York Times. Hoover is currently the best-selling author in the United States, and the sequel, “It Starts With Us“, is the most pre-ordered book in the history of the publisher Simon & Schuster.

Sony Pictures

But Justin Baldoni wanted to adapt the novel for the big screen before it became a success thanks to TikTok. The filmmaker began talking to Colleen Hoover about it in 2019. The adaptation rights to “Never Again – It Ends With Us” were quickly acquired. And it was the American actress Blake Lively who was chosen to play the role of the heroine while Justin Baldoni plays Ryle.

Actors too old?

While Blake Lively's popularity rating is high, the casting has still made fans of the novel grind their teeth. The choice of Blake Lively – 36 years old – and Justin Baldoni (40 years old) has indeed caused negative reactions because in the book, Lily is 23 years old while Ryle is 30.

So much so that Colleen Hoover had to speak out at a literary festival to set the record straight. Also a producer of the adaptation, the author wanted to age the characters in the film to correct a mistake she had made in the book.

'We have to age them, because I made a mistake.

She explains: “At the time I wrote It Ends With Us, the 'new adult' genre was very popular. They were writing college-age characters. That's what I was contractually obligated to do. That's why Lily's character is very young. I didn't know that neurosurgeons study for many years. There are no neurosurgeons in their twenties. When I started making this movie, I thought, 'We have to age them up, because I made a mistake.' So it's my fault.“

Sony Pictures

For her part, Blake Lively confided to the magazine People :”Lily resonated with so many people, as the success of the book has shown. It’s an honor to step into the shoes of a character who has had such a huge impact. I loved playing her, and I hope that love is felt by those who care about her as much as I do, and also by those who get to know her through this film.“

Actor (Everwood, Jane the Virgin) and director (Two Meters Away), Justin Baldoni saw this adaptation as a kind of outlet. He tells People: “In a way, playing Ryle was very therapeutic for me as Justin. I thought I had fixed and healed parts of myself, but playing this role made me realize that wasn't the case. By discovering this character, his depth, his love, his joy and his darkness, I was able to work on those aspects of myself.”

And for Colleen Hoover “Seeing these characters come to life on the big screen is a dream come true.” The novelist adds: “The cinematic experience adds another layer to the connection readers already have with the characters. The power of visual storytelling is undeniable, and it can evoke even stronger emotions and empathy from the audience by bringing a sense of immediacy and intensity to the story. That’s what I felt when I saw the adaptation.“

Sony Pictures

A novel inspired by the life of Colleen Hoover's mother

A strong emotion that the novelist had already felt when she had her mother read her novel, since she was inspired by her mother's story to write Never again. Hoover explains in the press kit: “I never imagined that this story would touch as many people as it did. My mother has always been a role model for me. She is extremely independent, intelligent and balanced. I never understood how she ended up in a relationship with my father. Writing this book helped me understand them both better, but more importantly it healed a lot of things in my mother.

After reading my book, she called me in tears and confessed that she had never been convinced that she had made the right choice in leaving my father. She confided in me that, even after all these years, she still wondered if taking our father away from us had been a good thing. It broke my heart that she cared. Reading the book finally made her realize that she had made the right decision.”

Never again – It ends with usis available to see in theaters from this Wednesday, August 14.

* (Figures from the film's press kit)