Netflix’s Long-Gestating ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ Movie Adaptation Gets Its Third Director

Anna Kendrick, who made her directorial debut with Netflix with Woman of the Hour, is set to bring the best-selling novel to life.

By Kasey Moore • [

June 1st, 2026 - 1:52 pm

Pictures via IMDb / Publisher

It’s been a long road to the screen for Taylor Jenkins Reid’s BookTok sensation, but Netflix’s highly anticipated adaptation of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo has just taken a massive step forward. Following her acclaimed directorial debut on the streamer, Anna Kendrick has been tapped to direct the upcoming drama.

The news comes courtesy of Deadline’s Justin Kroll, who scooped on Monday that Kendrick is reuniting with Netflix to take the helm of one of the studio’s most high-profile upcoming literary adaptations.

If you’ve been tracking this project via our comprehensive preview guide, you’ll know that the director’s chair for Evelyn Hugo has seen a bit of a revolving door. The adaptation originally spent time in development over at Freeform back in 2022 before shifting to Netflix. Previously, Leslye Headland (The Acolyte, Russian Doll) was attached to direct, followed by Maggie Betts (The Burial) early last year. Now, Kendrick is officially stepping in to bring the Golden Age of Hollywood to life, per an exclusive report from Deadline.

It’s easy to see why Netflix is eager to stay in business with Kendrick. She recently made a massive splash with her directorial debut, Woman of the Hour, which proved to be a major critical and viewership hit for the streamer. Landing a massive IP like Evelyn Hugo marks a huge step up in scale for her sophomore outing behind the camera.

For those unfamiliar with the Taylor Jenkins Reid phenomenon, the book has sold tens of millions of copies worldwide and dominated social media (racking up nearly 800 million views on TikTok alone).

Here’s the official logline for the upcoming film:

“Evelyn Hugo chooses an unknown reporter, Monique Grant, to write her life story. Evelyn recounts her time in the Golden Age of Hollywood, her rise to fame, her seven marriages, and her secret love.”

Alongside the director’s update, we also have a clearer picture of where the script currently stands. Liz Tigelaar (Little Fires Everywhere) penned the first draft of the screenplay, and Francesca Sloane (co-creator of Amazon’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith and writer on Fargo) is currently working on revisions.

Producing the feature are Liza Chasin for 3Dot Productions, Brad Mendelsohn for Circle Management + Productions, and David Hinojosa. Taylor Jenkins Reid is on board as an executive producer alongside Margaret Chernin.

With Kendrick now locked in to direct and script revisions underway, the next major hurdle will be casting. Fans have been fancasting the roles of Evelyn, Celia St. James, and Monique for years, but are we soon to find out who’ll actually be playing the main characters? The project remains in active development, and there is no production start date or release window set just yet. We’ll be updating our main preview for The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo as soon as we learn more.

Are you excited to see Anna Kendrick take the helm of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo? Let us know in the comments down below!