This steamy movie will be the next big rom-com. The backstory is even wilder.

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In this modern day and age, a truly excellent rom-com can be hard to find.

There are the cliché Hallmark-style movies, with small-town girls and hot simple men. Sometimes those guys are also snowmen who magically come to life. There are the death-trope romances with tragic endings, framed in a Nicholas Sparks montage of whimsical hand-holding and devastation. And, of course, there are the teen romances for which we must be grateful (shout out to you, The Summer I Turned Pretty).

They all have their place, but Hollywood is currently lacking when it comes to genuinely good romantic comedies — in the traditional sense.

Think How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, You've Got Mail, and 27 Dresses. With engaging scripts, even better stars, occasional tomfoolery, and a sharp cinematic edit that never feels like it was awkwardly made-for-TV. And don't get me wrong, I can think of at least 10 modern, indie rom-coms I've loved and would recommend — but there's no denying the mid-budget rom-com is a dying breed.

And that's where The Love Hypothesis comes in.

Based on the book by Ali Hazelwood, the film is a spicy romantic comedy starring Lili Reinhart (Riverdale, Hustlers) and Tom Bateman (Murder On The Orient Express, Based On A True Story).

Yes, the book blew up on TikTok and has many critics — I'll be honest, it's my least-favourite of Hazelwood's many juicy novels — but overall it's a fun and engaging read, with plenty of steamy scenes and a whole load of chemistry between the two main characters. It's the kind of romantic story that would be perfect for the screen.

Fortunately, the book is now receiving the major movie treatment. And they've made a wild casting choice for the main love interest that sent the internet into a frenzy (I'm talking 170 million views on Lili Reinhart's social videos so far).

What's the movie about? And why is the backstory so intriguing? Let's dive into it.

Everything you need to know about The Love Hypothesis.

What is The Love Hypothesis about?

Like many of Hazelwood's books, The Love Hypothesis centres around a woman in STEM.

Olive Smith is a third-year PhD candidate with a cynical view of romance. But in order to convince her friend, Anh, that she believes in love, Olive kisses the first random man she finds in the halls of Stanford University. Turns out that man is Adam Carlsen, a grumpy young professor who, for some unknown reason (wink wink), agrees to a fake-dating relationship with Olive.

As their fake romance turns into real chemistry, the pair are faced with hard questions, like, do we find each other hot? Huge news! They do! And Reinhart has confirmed the film will be just as steamy as the novel (no PG13 ratings here).

Okay, so now you're probably thinking, "that doesn't sound THAT unhinged" but please! A moment of your time!

The Love Hypothesis was based on an earlier work by Hazelwood called Head Over Feet — which was actually a Reylo fan-fiction story. Also known as romantic Star Wars fan-fiction about Kylo Ren (played by Adam Driver) and Rey (played by Daisy Ridley).

Which brings me to the wild connection between the leading man and this fictional couple…

Lili Reinhart stars as Olive in The Love Hypothesis adaptation. Image: Instagram.

Who is in The Love Hypothesis cast?

Many fans hoped Adam Driver would take on the role of Adam Carlsen and to them I say, 'that was never going to happen'. But we got the next best thing.

Instead, Tom Bateman is starring as the leading man. In real life, he is married to the one and only Daisy Ridley. Yes! He's married to the original inspiration for the main character of this story! PINCH ME because I love mess.

And what's even more entertaining, is that Ridley shared the announcement of her husband's casting on her Instagram Stories, after previously saying it was "f***ing cool" that a number of bestselling books had been inspired by Reylo.

"For anyone to just write a book is so impressive, let alone a New York Times bestseller, let alone something inspired by something I was part of. That's very thrilling… So thank you, whoever wrote The Love Hypothesis and The Hurricane Wars. Wow," she said in an interview in 2023.

For his part, Bateman has said he and Ridley didn't quite realise the extent to which Reylo had inspired this romance.

"I was told after I was offered the job," Bateman told Screen Rant on a red carpet just this morning. "And I thought that meant [Reylo] was what inspired Ali Hazelwood to start writing, because the book is obviously so different [to Star Wars]. It wasn't until the announcement of the cast that I became fully aware of how much love there is from those fans out there. Just made me very excited to be part of it."

Guys, this thing has layers and I love it. I can't wait for Daisy to give us her full review!

The woman and mastermind behind this decision is Lili Reinhart, who is not only starring but also serving as executive producer alongside Ali Hazelwood and Catherine Hagedorn. And Claire Scanlon — director of one of the best rom-coms of our modern times, Set It Up — is on board to direct.

We have a killer cast of lead characters in Bateman and Reinhart. Also starring in the film are Rachel Marsh as Anh, Nicholas Duvernay as Jeremy, Jaboukie Young-White as Malcolm and Arty Froushan as Tom.

With these stars — and these production powerhouses — this is set to bring us back to the good old days of crazy rom-com plots. With a fun little casting backstory to boot!

Watch Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman's TikTok from the set of The Love Hypothesis. Story continues below.

When is The Love Hypothesis release date?

No confirmed release date just yet, but given production has just wrapped, we could be looking at a mid to late 2026 release date.

Where to watch The Love Hypothesis movie in Australia?

It remains to be seen if The Love Hypothesis will receive a cinematic release globally — but given the intensity of the reaction to the casting announcement, they'd be fools not to! The film is tied to Amazon MGM Studios and MRC, so it's highly likely that this movie will be coming to a theatre near you. And it'll probably end up streaming on Prime Video when the time comes.

But I can guarantee you I will be pulling a Tom Cruise, grabbing my popcorn and heading to the cinema if I can.

Feature Image: Getty.