Origins of The Love Hypothesis Adaptation
Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman anchor the upcoming Prime Video adaptation of The Love Hypothesis, a film grounded in the unexpected history of fan fiction. The source material began in 2018 when a neuroscience professor, writing under the pen name Ali Hazelwood, published a story on Archive of Our Own titled Head Over Feet. This work drew heavy inspiration from the Star Wars sequel trilogy, specifically the intense on-screen dynamic between characters played by Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley. Fans termed this pairing Reylo, creating a massive digital community that eventually propelled Hazelwood’s expanded novel to the top of bestseller lists.
Reinhart entered the project in 2024 while working on the indie thriller American Sweatshop. She was initially hesitant to jump into another romantic comedy but found the script by Sarah Rothschild compelling. The story centers on Olive Smith, a Stanford doctoral candidate who initiates a fake dating arrangement with Professor Adam Carlson to placate a friend. Reinhart eventually joined as an executive producer, a role that gave her influence over the casting process. She admits to feeling significant pressure to find a lead actor capable of standing alongside her, noting the industry tendency to view male leads as the primary stars in such pairings.
The Serendipity of Casting and Chemistry
Tom Bateman’s entry into the project created immediate public buzz due to a peculiar personal connection. Bateman is married to Daisy Ridley, the very actress whose performance helped inspire the original fan fiction. When news of his casting as Dr. Adam Carlson broke, social media users speculated that the choice was an intentional nod to the source material's origins. Both Reinhart and Bateman maintain that this was purely coincidental. They confirm that neither actor was aware of the Reylo connection when casting discussions began, characterizing the outcome as a strange piece of industry serendipity.
Bateman recalls his wife’s reaction when he first mentioned the project. She acknowledged hearing vague rumors about a book inspired by her past work but remained unaware of the specifics. During the eight-week shoot in Montreal in the summer of 2025, the two leads worked to establish a rapport that relied on mutual trust rather than pre-existing industry tropes. Reinhart notes that Bateman’s actual personality is the inverse of his brooding character. Their off-camera friendship and shared approach to the narrative allowed them to translate the book’s emotional beats into a condensed, 90-minute film format.
Navigating Fan Expectations and Production
Marketing the film required a delicate touch. Reinhart took an active role in managing the production’s social media presence, notably filming several viral TikToks to generate interest. She insisted on a specific creative vision for these videos, often rejecting generic content templates to keep the tone authentic to the characters. Bateman admits to his own lack of expertise with the platform, noting that he often struggled to follow the technical requirements of the social clips, which he joked required more takes than some scenes in the actual movie.
Beyond marketing, the production team prioritized emotional weight during intimate sequences. The hotel-room scene presented a particular challenge, as the book contains explicit material that required adaptation for a wider audience. Working with intimacy coordinator Jen Viens, the actors treated these moments as necessary character beats rather than gratuitous filler. This process allowed the cast to maintain professional boundaries while ensuring the story stayed true to the source material. With the release set for September 23, both leads express a sense of fulfillment in seeing the project reach the screen, viewing it as a significant milestone in their respective careers.