Colleen Hoover is “grateful” for the It Ends With Us film adaptation despite the drama that came with it.
“I feel for everyone, you know?” the author, 46, told Variety in an interview published on Wednesday, September 23.
“As the author, I was — and am — so proud of that movie,” she continued. “I think they did a great job. I think Blake [Lively] was great in it, Justin [Baldoni] was great in it, Brandon [Sklenar] was great in it, and I saw the completed film before any of that happened, or I knew it was happening, so I was proud of the film. And I still am. It was a huge hit.”
It Ends With Us was released in theaters in August 2024. The film, which had a $25 million budget, grossed $350 million worldwide.
Four months after its debut, It Ends With Us became shrouded in controversy when leading lady Lively, 39, sued her costar and director, Baldoni, 42, and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, accusing him of sexual harassment on set and of orchestrating a retaliatory smear campaign. Baldoni denied the allegations and countersued Lively, accusing her of defamation. (The countersuit was later dismissed.)
After more than a year of battling in court, Baldoni and Lively reached a settlement in May before the case went to trial. Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios were ordered to pay Lively just over $400,000 for legal fees and additional costs. (She initially requested $8 million.)
Though the legal drama cast a shadow over the film, Hoover told Variety that she chose to focus on the bright side. She’s also ready to usher in a new era with the adaptation of her book Verity, starring Dakota Johnson, Anne Hathaway and Josh Hartnett. The film hits theaters on October 2.
“It’s been a great experience, and I think the aftermath is going to be a great experience,” Hoover continued on Wednesday. “I’m just really, really excited for this release in a way that I don’t think I have been. I had a lot of nerves with the other ones, for a lot of different reasons, but this one is pure excitement.”
Hoover also discussed the possibility of It Ends With Us’ sequel, It Starts With Us, getting its own adaptation.
“I don’t own the rights to the film sequel. So, if they decide to make another one, I’m all for it,” she shared.
Hoover previously opened up about the “unfortunate” circumstances surrounding the It Ends With Us movie.
“Is it hard to have those two things, like your very first memory, one of your pieces of art that I know you cherish, wrapped up with all of this?” Jenna Bush Hager asked the Reminders of Him author on her “Open Book With Jenna” podcast in March.
Hoover responded, “You know, it is, but it’s getting easier to separate it because I do look at the success of it. Like, opening week, we just were all so shocked at how much readers showed up for it and how well it did and how much it resonated. I’m so proud of that movie.”
