When it was announced that The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, one of the most popular New York Times Bestselling novels of the last several years, was getting an adaptation from Netflix, the overall consensus seemed to be “duh.”
The novel, which was written by Taylor Jenkins Reid, has sold over two million copies, spawned over 194.2 million views on TikTok’s sub-community, BookTok, and made Reid one of the most popular authors in mainstream literature. All three of her recent novels — The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones & The Six, and Malibu Rising — have been picked up for adaptations from Netflix, Amazon Studios, and Hulu, respectively.
Of the bunch, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is easily the most commercially loved. The story follows Monique Grant, a relatively unknown journalist who is chosen by Old Hollywood starlet and legend Evelyn Hugo to write her life story. Over the course of seven recounted husbands, Monique and Evelyn discover more about each other, and we learn why Evelyn, who hasn’t given an interview in decades, has decided to share her story now, and why, of all people, she’s chosen Monique to do it.
The story is rife with drama, intrigue, mystery, and above all, a tender telling of love. Given the nature of the novel — seven husbands told over seven parts — it made perfect sense for the novel to be turned into a limited series, but is that the plan for this New York Times Bestselling hit?
Is The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo a movie or a limited series?
Netflix’s book-to-screen track record is pretty impressive. Look no further than Bridgerton, Virgin River, and The Queens Gambit, to name just a few. It’s understandable why fans were eager for the same treatment of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
However, it turns out the adaptation won’t be in the form of a limited series. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo will be a movie, according to Deadline and various other outlets, much to the disgruntlement of devoted fans. Many fear the fate of some of their favorite scenes, and to their credit, there are many.
The adaptation was originally picked up by Freeform in 2019 and was in position to be a limited series, according to Deadline. The L Word’s executive producers, Ilene Chaiken and Jennifer Beals, were set to steer the ship. But as it turns out, Netflix beat them to the punch, and fans are still salty about it.
Perhaps fans can be comforted knowing that Reid’s masterpiece won’t be left to unfair treatment as she herself will serve as executive producer, alongside Margaret Chernin (The Lost City and The Goldfinch). Liz Tigelaar, the showrunner and executive producer of Little Fires Everywhere, will pen the script. What they all share in common is past experience crafting book-to-screen adaptations. Here’s hoping they knock this one out of the park.
To read more about Netflix’s adaptation of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, you can do so here.