Blake Lively to star in 'It Ends With Us,' movie adaptation of beloved Colleen Hoover book

Lily Bloom is coming to the big screen! Here's everything we know about the 'It Ends With Us' movie so far

Blake Lively to star in the 'It Ends With Us' movie. Pictured: Blake Lively attends the Michael Kors Collection Fall/Winter 2022 Runway Show at Terminal 5 on February 15, 2022 in New York City
(Image credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty)

The story of Lily Bloom and Ryle Kincaid is getting the big-screen treatment. Yes, an It Ends With Us movie is in our future and it just got a major star attached: the Gossip Girl queen herself, Blake Lively. 

The upcoming Sony flick is an adaptation of the immensely popular 2016 romance novel of the same name by American author Colleen Hoover, who reached household-name status when It Ends With Us went viral on BookTok last year. (Hoover's books, including the sequel It Starts With Us, now occupy six of the top 10 spots on The New York Times paperback fiction best-seller list.)

Jane the Virgin star and Five Feet Apart director Justin Baldoni optioned Hoover's novel for a film adaptation in July 2019 and will not only direct the flick but will join Lively onscreen, per Deadline. (The two actors will also serve as executive producers, alongside Hoover.)

So what do we know about the It Ends With Us movie so far? Let's dive in. 

What is the 'It Ends With Us' movie about?

The official book synopsis for It Ends With Us reads: "Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up—she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true."

"As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan—her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened," the synopsis continues. 

Given how freakishly popular the Colleen Hoover book is, it's safe to assume that the movie adaptation will follow the plot points of the novel pretty closely. And you already know fans will be PO'ed if the script doesn't feature some of the book's most famous quotes, like "'There is no such thing as bad people. We're all just people who sometimes do bad things."

Who is in the 'It Ends Us With' cast?

Blake Lively—who will next be seen in the A Simple Favor sequel opposite Anna Kendrick—will portray our heroine Lily Bloom, with Justin Baldoni playing Ryle Kincaid. Alas, we don't have more cast information just yet, including which actor will take on the role of Atlas, but Hoover did have something to say about the performers taking on her famous characters. 

“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,” Hoover said in an Instagram video on Thursday, January 26. “I’m going to do my best to sneak y’all as much footage as I can without getting kicked off the set. I’m so excited, y’all.”

When is the 'It Ends with Us' release date?

Seeing as how production has not yet started on the film, we do not have an official release date yet for the It Ends With Us movie. But you know we'll keep you posted the minute we have more intel!

Buy the 'It Ends With Us' book:

While you wait for the screen version, grab a copy of Hoover's page-turner to read for the first (or fifteenth) time.

Christina Izzo

Christina Izzo is the Deputy Editor of My Imperfect Life. 


More generally, she is a writer-editor covering food and drink, travel, lifestyle and culture in New York City. She was previously the Features Editor at Rachael Ray In Season and Reveal, as well as the Food & Drink Editor and chief restaurant critic at Time Out New York


When she’s not doing all that, she can probably be found eating cheese somewhere.