Ali Hazelwood’s best-selling debut book The Love Hypothesis—which, yes, was born initially as an AO3 fanfiction for Star Wars characters Rey and Kylo Ren—is officially headed to our screens thanks to Amazon MGM Studios and MRC.
Earlier last summer, it was announced that Riverdale alum Lili Reinhart had signed on as executive producer to adapt The Love Hypothesis into a film, also tapping Hazelwood as a fellow executive producer for the ride. Elizabeth Cantillon serves as producer, and Claire Scanlon directs the adaptation with a script by Sarah Rothschild.
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“Elizabeth Cantillon, Claire Scanlon, and Lili Reinhart have all created, produced, or starred in works that I’m absolutely feral about, and I am beyond honored that they’re choosing to bring their talent to this project,” Hazelwood shared about the film adaptation in a statement shared by Deadline. “Books and films are very different media, and I have complete trust in this brilliant team. I cannot wait to see the final product they’ll come up with. I hope they have as much fun filming as I had while writing the book.”
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If you are already craving this rom-com, find out everything you need to know about The Love Hypothesis film—from its full cast to its release date and rating.
Is there a trailer for The Love Hypothesis?
Yes! Prime Video unveiled the first teaser trailer for The Love Hypothesis during Obsessed Fest in Los Angeles, where the leads also teased some iconic scenes from the book have been faithfully adapted.
In the trailer, which you can see below, Olive and Adam's chemistry and theory (more on that below) takes centerstage, and we get a peek at their first kiss, their fake dating, and even a steamy scene. And in that note, the trailer confirmed the film is rated R (Restricted), so bear that in mind.
Aside from the trailer, Prime Video had also previously released a handful of first-look photos, which correspond to key moments in the trailer and include a nod to the original book cover as well. You can see them below:
Who is in the cast of The Love Hypothesis?
The cast of The Love Hypothesis comprises two lead stars and four supporting cast members. You can learn more about the actors and their roles below:
Aside from serving as an executive producer, Lili Reinhart stars in the film as Ph.D. candidate and love skeptic Olive Smith. Best known for her starring role as Betty Cooper in Riverdale, Reinhart's recent and upcoming projects also include Hal & Harper, American Sweatshop, The Very Best People, Forbidden Fruits, and Ali & Anthony Garland’s Fake Wedding. Busy bee!
British actor Tom, who has appeared in Da Vinci's Demons, Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile, and more, stars opposite Reinhart as her professor, Dr. Adam Carlsen.
Comedian and actor Rachel Marsh, who recently appeared in season one FX's Adults, plays Anh, Olive's best friend, who sets the whole plot of the story in motion. (More on that below!) Marsh has also appeared in Apple’s The Morning Show and Prime Video’s Fallout.
Most recently seen on The White Lotus season three and Hulu's Not Suitable for Work, Nicholas Duvernay will portray Jeremy, who, in the books, is Olive's ex-boyfriend. (Fun fact, Duvernay stars opposite Reinhart's real-life boyfriend, Jack Martin, in NSFW.)
Comedian and actor Jaboukie Young-White plays Malcolm, a.k.a. Olive's roommate in the books. This is his second rom-com as of recently, as he appears alongside Zoey Deutch, Ruby Cruz, and Jonah Hauer-King in The Threesome. Besides that, Jaboukie has already worked with director Claire Scanlon on another rom-com: Netflix's Set It Up.
English-American actor Arty Froushan portrays Tom in the film, who we assume is a version of Dr. Tom Benton, an associate professor at Harvard University who is also Adam's friend. Froushan's credits include Daredevil: Born Again, Downton Abbey, and SOULM8TE, among others.
To celebrate their casting back in 2025, Amazon MGM Studios posted a cute video of the four supporting cast members on Instagram, which you can see below:
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Does The Love Hypothesis have a release date?
Yes! The Love Hypothesis will come out on Prime Video globally on September 23, 2026, so mark your cals!
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What will The Love Hypothesis be about?
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The Love Hypothesis is a romantic comedy film that follows the story of a third-year Ph.D. student, Olive Smith, and her professor, Dr. Adam Carlsen, as they agree to enter a fake relationship to test their scientific theories—or hypotheses, if you will—about love to the test.
“It's not exactly an enemies-to-lovers trope because they are never quite enemies, they are just extremely opposite and that was obviously fun to play,” Reinhart said during Obsessed Fest. Bateman added: “What I loved so much is that these two people couldn't really be further apart from each other, they would never normally meet, they almost have nothing in common, but the power of love…. I do believe that to really love someone you have to see them for exactly who they are, good and bad. And that's what I was drawn to.”
The official logline for the movie goes: “The Love Hypothesis follows Olive (Lili Reinhart), a brilliant Ph.D. candidate focused on her future in academia. But when she realizes her best friend Ahn (Rachel Marsh) has fallen for her crush Jeremy (Nicholas Duvernay), Olive impulsively kisses intimidating professor Adam Carlsen (Tom Bateman) to prove she’s moved on. What begins as a desperate act of friendship spirals into a fake relationship with rules, boundaries, and a mutually beneficial agreement. When their arrangement begins to blur the lines between performance and reality, Olive is forced to test her most daunting hypothesis yet: that love might actually be worth the risk.”
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In contrast, the official synopsis for the book is as follows: "When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman's carefully calculated theories on love into chaos.
As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships—but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.
That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor—and well-known *ss. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding... six-pack abs.
Suddenly, their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope."
This post will be updated as news about The Love Hypothesis breaks.
