Anna Kendrick is on board to direct the hotly anticipated film adaptation of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Deadline reports.
Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel, published in 2017 by Atria, follows a reclusive elderly movie star who chooses an obscure reporter for an interview about her life and career. A critic for Kirkus wrote of the book, “Reid’s heroine reveals her darkest secrets as if she were wiping off makeup at the end of the night—a celebration of human frailty that speaks to the Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor in us all.”
News of the film adaptation was first announced in 2022, with Liz Tigelaar (Nashville, Little Fires Everywhere) named as the screenwriter. Tigelaar’s script is now being revised by Francesca Sloane (Fargo, Atlanta).
This will be the second film directed by Kendrick, the actor known for her work in movies including Up in the Air and Pitch Perfect. She previously helmed the 2023 film Woman of the Hour. Reid will be among Evelyn Hugo’s executive producers.
Reid’s novel Daisy Jones & the Six was adapted into a 2023 Prime Video miniseries starring Riley Keough and Sam Claflin; it was nominated for nine Emmy Awards. Reid’s 2022 novel, Carrie Soto Is Back, is currently being developed as a series with Serena Williams on board as an executive producer, while her 2025 novel, Atmosphere, is being adapted into a film with Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck writing the script.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
