Tom Bateman Cast in 'The Love Hypothesis' Adaptation Inspired by Star Wars Fan Fiction

Amazon MGM Studios is adapting Ali Hazelwood's bestselling romance novel The Love Hypothesis into a film starring Lili Reinhart as Olive Smith and Tom Bateman as Dr. Adam Carlsen. The novel originally began as a Star Wars fan fiction titled Head Over Feet, imagining a romance between Rey and Kylo Ren, characters played by Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver, respectively; the story was later reworked to remove Star Wars elements. In an intriguing casting twist, Tom Bateman, who plays Adam Carlsen, is married to Daisy Ridley, the actress who portrayed Rey and inspired the fan fiction that became the novel. The film, directed by Claire Scanlon with a screenplay by Sarah Rothschild, follows Olive, a Ph.D. candidate who fakes a relationship with her professor Adam to convince her best friend she is dating, only for real feelings to develop. Hazelwood and producers including Reinhart have expressed enthusiasm for the adaptation, while the casting adds a meta-layer to the romantic comedy's backstory. Fans of the original fan fiction and new audiences alike can look forward to the upcoming movie, blending academic romance with a unique Hollywood connection.