Are you ready for the The Idea of You movie adaptation?
There seems to be a trend going around – and it's what I like to call the "fanfiction to book to movie pipeline." As an avid reader of fanfiction (guilty as charged), I have seen this repeatedly, where a particular idea is spun off into a book, which is usually based on the love of a specific story or a person, like Fifty Shades of Grey or After.
While The Idea Of You wasn't fanfiction originally, the novel was inspired by singer Harry Styles and was published online first, like many of these other fanfiction-based novels, according to Vogue. The book’s adaptation will star Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine, but who else will co-star? And what is this movie going to be about? Here is what we know so far about The Idea of You.
What Is The Idea Of You Release Date?
As of this update in March 2024, The Idea of You will be released on May 2, 2024, according to the official trailer on Youtube.
The movie was filmed in 2022, as we’ll get into later, but now it’s officially coming out as part of the 2024 movie release schedule.
Even so, the movie will be released on Amazon Prime, which had a great 2023 in terms of film. The streamer released Red, White & Royal Blue, making us feel all the feelings and was a massive step in representation for LGBTQ+ movies. The streaming service also released the Eddie Murphy-led Candy Cane Lane and the drama, The Burial. Can’t wait to see this addition.
Check Out The Trailer For The Idea Of You
If you’re at all interested in this new sizzling romance, then you have to check out the first trailer that was released in March 2024. It gives us a look into the spicy romance we are about to watch unfold – and how age sometimes really is just a number when it comes to people you love.
Anne Hathaway, Nicholas Galitzine And More Star
As the introduction mentions, Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine will star in The Idea of You, but there are plenty of other big names that you should know about. Here is the cast:
Anne Hathaway as Solène
Hathaway's casting announcement came out in June 2021 from Deadline, when the movie was confirmed to be happening. The actress will play a 40-year-old divorced mother named Solène (which was previously billed as Sophie).
Anne Hathaway has done many great films, from her time in The Devil Wears Prada to her Academy Award-winning performance as part of the Les Misérables cast.
The actress even had a 2023 release with the movie, She Came To Me, alongside Peter Dinklage.
Nicholas Galitzine as Hayes Campbell
Galitzine was confirmed to star alongside her in September 2022, according to Deadline. Galitzine will play Hayes Campbell, the lead singer of a boyband.
The actor has made a considerable name for himself over the last few years. He was a part of the Cinderella adaptation on Amazon Prime, but aside from that, he was also one of the stars of the Bottoms cast in 2023 and was one of the co-leads of Red, White & Royal Blue, as well as the 2022 Netflix release, Purple Hearts.
Ella Rubin as Izzy
Variety reported in mid-October 2022 that Ella Rubin had joined the cast, where she will play Solène’s daughter, Izzy. The character is the primary catalyst for how Solène meets Hayes. She’s appeared in Masters of the Air, The Rewrite, Gossip Girl and more.
The Boys Of August Moon
The Hollywood Reporter announced several actors in early October 2022, confirming that Jaiden Anthony, Raymond Cham (The Big Leap), Vik White (He’s All That), and Dakota Adan (East Los High) would sign on to round out the boy band in the movie.
The Idea Of You Is Based On The Book Of The Same Name By Robinne Lee
As confirmed in the Deadline article regarding Hathaway's casting and the Vogue story above, The Idea of You is based on the book of the same name, written by Robinne Lee.
The movie will follow a divorced 40-year-old mother named Solène who has to take her daughter, Izzy, to a music festival when Izzy's father cancels. It’s there that she ends up meeting Hayes Campbell, the lead singer of the most popular boy band, August Moon. There, she enters a whirlwind romance that follows her learning how to reclaim her sexuality.
While there have been rumors that the movie is based on fanfiction, the author has said it was never meant to be that. Robinne Lee, in that same interview with Vogue, said that Harry Styles only inspired her for the character of Hayes. The book was about female empowerment and learning how to rediscover your body after a certain age:
This was never supposed to be a book about Harry Styles…It was supposed to be a story about a woman approaching 40 and reclaiming her sexuality and rediscovering herself, just at the point that society traditionally writes women off as desirable and viable and whole.
I can understand that – and I can also see why most people would believe this movie is based on fanfiction, based on the premise.
The Idea Of You Will Be Rated R
According to the official trailer for the film, The Idea Of You will be Rated R, so it’s going to be quite the spicy romance for those who decide to check it out. I don’t think any of us are prepared.
The Idea Of You Is 115 Minutes Long
Amazon confirmed that The Idea Of You will follow the trend that most of the best rom-coms tend to by being under two hours.
Thankfully, the film will sit at a comfortable 115 minutes, just under two hours. While that is a little surprising considering many rom-coms tend to cap their runtime at about 90 minutes, I’ll be sitting for every single second.
The Soundtrack Will Feature Original Songs Composed By Jack Antonoff and Charli XCX
So, obviously, with a movie that features a boy band in it, it would pretty much be a sin for there not to be a soundtrack attached. Thankfully, IndieWire confirmed in March 2024 that there will be original songs composed by Jack Antonoff and Charlie XCX – in fact, one song is even available to stream right now on Amazon Music, called “Dance Before We Walk.”
On the Amazon Music site, it looks like there are about eleven tracks that will be featured in the film. Normally, we wouldn’t be this excited about a soundtrack, but a popular Amazon Prime series, Daisy Jones and the Six, had major success with its soundtrack drop, so I would not be surprised if the soundtrack for The Idea Of You ends up being similar.
Michael Showalter Is Directing
Confirmed by Deadline in August 2022, it was announced that Michael Showalter would direct The Idea of You. The director has done several films, such as Spoiler Alert, Wet Hot American Summer, The Eyes Of Tammy Faye, and The Big Sick. So The Idea of You is in good hands.
I am counting down the days until we get to see this movie, and I need to see Hathaway kill it alongside Galitzine. Let's freaking go.
