Blake Lively has seemingly been busy expanding her family with Ryan Reynolds, as she hasn’t been in many projects for a long time. But she was recently cast as the lead of a very anticipated project. It was the movie adaptation of It Ends With Us by author Colleen Hoover.
Lively being part of any project will pique anyone’s interest, but fans of the book weren’t convinced of the casting. However, after days of trolling, the author has stepped in to defend the Gossip Girl actress from hardcore fans.
It Ends With Us Author Clarified Why She Supported Blake Lively As Her Lead
It Ends With Us is a novel first published in 2016 that follows Lily Bloom (played by Blake Lively), a successful small-business owner. She falls for Ryle Kincaid, a neurosurgeon, and ultimately marries him. But the relationship becomes tumultuous as time goes on, and as many readers have termed- abusive too. In steps her childhood friend and first love, Atlas Corrigan.
The controversy regarding Lively’s casting stems from the fact that in the book, Lily is 23 years old, while the actress is 35. However, Colleen Hoover stepped in to defend The Age of Adaline actress at Hoover’s Book Bananza festival in Texas. In an interview with Today’s Jenna Bush (via The Hollywood Reporter), the author said that the initial mistake was hers.
Hoover said that she should have aged up her character in the 2016 book itself. She said:
“Back when I wrote It Ends With Us, the new adult [genre] was very popular. You were writing college-age characters. That’s what I was contracted to do. I made Lily very young. I didn’t know that neurosurgeons went to school for 50 years. There’s not a 20-something neurosurgeon. As I started making this movie, I’m like, ‘We need to age them out, because I messed up.’ So, that’s my fault.”
As for Lively, the writer confessed that she’s pleased and happy with the casting because she has adored the actress since her Gossip Girl days.
Colleen Hoover Couldn’t Be Happier About Blake Lively Starring In Her Book’s Film Adaptation
When Blake Lively was first cast as Colleen Hoover’s lead heroine in the film adaptation, the writer was ecstatic. She said in an emotional Instagram post:
“Our Lily is going to be played by Blake Lively. Blake Lively, y’all. She’s my dream Lily… 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.”
Fans of It Ends With Us were also unhappy with the leaked set pics because Lively was seen wearing a mismatch of weird clothes and pants on top of pants. But Hoover again defended the styling choice in the film by saying that everything will make sense in the film. It now remains to be seen how hardcore fans react to the finished product.
It Ends With Us doesn’t have a set release date, although a 2024 release is being predicted.
Source: Colleen Hoover and THR
