Netflix Taps Anna Kendrick to End the Revolving Door of Directors on The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Netflix finally found its Evelyn Hugo captain: Anna Kendrick is officially directing The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Took long enough.

Why this is a big deal

Taylor Jenkins Reid's Hollywood epic is one of those white-whale adaptations fans have been manifesting for years. The book is a monster hit — over 24 million copies sold in 43 languages — and every few months Twitter tried to cast it by committee. So yeah, expectations are sky high.

How we got here

This project has been circling the runway for a while. Different filmmakers were attached at different points — Maggie Betts had a run at it, and Leslye Headland was linked too — but both are now off the project. Kendrick stepping in ends a long, oddly winding director search, as first reported by Deadline.

Why Kendrick makes sense

Kendrick is coming off a legit strong directing debut with Woman of the Hour, the serial killer Dating Game thriller that Netflix scooped up for an eight-figure deal at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. That success makes this a reunion with the streamer, and it signals Netflix is confident handing her one of its most coveted literary adaptations.

• Project: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (Netflix feature adaptation )
• Director: Anna Kendrick (officially signed on)
• Book track record: 24+ million copies sold, translated into 43 languages
• History: Years of fan casting and online speculation; previous director attachments included Maggie Betts and Leslye Headland, both no longer involved
• Kendrick connection: Reuniting with Netflix after Woman of the Hour, acquired in an eight-figure TIFF 2023 deal
• Bottom line: A long-anticipated adaptation finally has a steady hand at the wheel

The takeaway: Netflix just put a proven new director in charge of a massively beloved property. Now comes the tricky part — actually making the movie that readers have been building in their heads for years.