Anna Kendrick to Direct Netflix Film of The Seven Husbands

Anna Kendrick will direct Netflix's upcoming film adaptation of the bestselling novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, marking her second feature film as a director. The project, based on Taylor Jenkins Reid's 2017 book, has been in development at the streaming service since it acquired the rights in 2022.

Kendrick, known for her acting roles in the Pitch Perfect films and A Simple Favor, made her directorial debut with the 2023 true-crime thriller Woman of the Hour for Netflix. The studio pursued her for this new project following that film's critical and commercial success.

The adaptation has experienced a prolonged development process. Filmmakers Leslye Headland and Maggie Betts were previously attached to direct at different times before departing. The screenplay's first draft was written by Liz Tigelaar, with revisions currently being handled by Francesca Sloane.

The story centers on a fictional aging Hollywood icon, Evelyn Hugo, who grants a final, tell-all interview to a young journalist named Monique Grant. Over the course of their conversation, Hugo reveals the secrets behind her seven marriages and decades of Hollywood scandals, betrayals, and personal heartbreak.