# Anna Kendrick Takes On Evelyn Hugo

> Four years, three directors, and still no cast: here's where the Evelyn Hugo movie actually stands.
- Title: Anna Kendrick Takes On Evelyn Hugo · Woman's World | Shortify
- Summary: Four years, three directors, and still no cast: here's where the Evelyn Hugo movie actually stands. The adaptation is moving, just slowly. Netflix now has…
- Keywords: books, netflix, adaptations, taylor jenkins reid, hollywood, Anna, Kendrick, Takes, Evelyn, Hugo, Woman's World
- Source: Woman's World — https://womansworld.com/entertainment/books/taylor-jenkins-reid-reveals-update-on-evelyn-hugo-movie
- Author: Carissa Mosness
- Published: 2026-09-12T00:30:39+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: books, netflix, adaptations, taylor jenkins reid, hollywood
## The adaptation everyone is waiting for
Taylor Jenkins Reid's The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo has been a bestseller since 2017. The movie has been in the works for four years with no release date.
## A reporter and a legend
Struggling journalist Monique Grant is picked out of nowhere by reclusive Golden Age star Evelyn Hugo to write her biography. Evelyn is finally ready to talk.
## Seven marriages, one real love
Evelyn spent decades guarding her secrets, including her complicated relationship with actress Celia St. James. The book was Reid's first historical fiction.
## Readers are protective
Fans credit the book with making every word count, and they are openly nervous about a film version. That fear is exactly the pressure the team is under.

> This book would be such an amazing source material for a movie adaptation. WE NEED THIS TO HAPPEN. But I'm scared they would ruin it.
## Two directors walked away
Leslye Headland was first to direct, then dropped out in February 2025. Maggie Betts replaced her and also left the project.
## Anna Kendrick is directing
The actress now has the director's chair at Netflix. Liz Tigelaar is writing the script, and Reid is an executive producer.
## Silence is not disinterest
Reid says fans misread her lack of updates as a lack of focus. She credits Netflix with respecting how much the readership cares.

> We're taking it very seriously and I give Netflix so much credit because they have such an immense respect for the readership of that book.
## Casting is the whole game
No roles have been announced and there is still no release date. Reid's one public demand is the part everyone will judge first.

> We got to get Evelyn Hugo exactly right.
## Key takeaway

The adaptation is moving, just slowly. Netflix now has Anna Kendrick directing, but no cast and no release date yet.