NZ Herald

16 May, 2024 10:11 PM3 mins to read

Blake Lively stars as Lily Bloom in the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's book It Ends With Us.

It Ends With Us - Figure 1
Photo New Zealand Herald

The first trailer for the film version of It Ends With Us has been released, featuring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.

The upcoming film is adapted from Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel, starring Lively as florist Lily Bloom, who moves to Boston to open a flower shop. She meets neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid, played by Jane the Virgin star Baldoni.

Romance quickly develops between the pair – but it’s not long before Lily, who grew up with an abusive father, discovers that Ryle has violent tendencies.

The trailer, soundtracked by Taylor Swift’s My Tears Ricochet, shows steamy scenes between Lively and Baldoni before revealing the darker side of their relationship.

Ryle is seen behaving violently towards Lily before smashing an object on the floor, apologising to her afterwards.

According to the book’s description, “Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his [Ryle’s] ‘no dating’ rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.”

Her first love, Atlas Corrigan, then reappears in her life, further complicating her relationship with Ryle.

It Ends With Us - Figure 2
Photo New Zealand Herald

The movie was set to be released in February but was forced to pause production last June because of the Hollywood writers’ strike.

Filming resumed in January this year. According to Sony, the film will open on August 9.

Lively, who is also executive producer of the film, told People magazine: “Lily resonated with an enormous amount of people, as the success of the book made clear.

Blake Lively as Lily Bloom and Justin Baldoni as Ryle Kincaid in It Ends With Us.

“Stepping into a character who’s had such a meaningful impact is an honour to take on. I loved Lily. And I hope that love is felt by those who care about her like I do, and also those who are getting to know her for the first time in this film.”

Baldoni also directed and executive-produced the film through his company Wayfarer Studios.

Hoover has faced criticism over the book, as it’s been marketed as a romance novel but centralises an abusive relationship. Some have argued it romanticises domestic violence.

The author has previously admitted It Ends With Us was “the hardest book I’ve ever written”, since it’s based on her parents’ relationship.

It was the best-selling print book in 2022 and stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for more than 90 weeks. It has been published in 43 languages since 2019 and saw a surge in popularity in 2021 on TikTok.

Hoover has sold more than 20 million books, with the sequel to It Ends With Us, titled It Starts With Us, released in October 2022.

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