Oscar winner Anne Hathaway will star in a film based on “The Idea of You,” a fan-fiction book inspired by Harry Styles. Michael Showalter, the director of “The Big Sick” and “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” will direct the project from streaming service Prime Video, according to entertainment news outlet Deadline.
Hathaway plays Sophie, a divorced mother of four whose husband abandoned her for a younger woman. Sophie steps in to save the weekend after her husband cancels a trip to Coachella with their 15-year-old daughter. But when she meets 24-year-old Hayes Campbell (loosely based on Styles) — the lead singer of the world’s hottest boy band, August Moon (again, loosely based on One Direction) — her weekend trip quickly turns into a whirlwind, life-changing romance.
In an interview with Vogue, Lee said the book was never intended to be about Harry Styles. According to the author, it was supposed to be about a woman approaching 40 who rediscovers herself and her sexuality, just as society traditionally disapproves of women being desirable, viable, and whole.
“Hayes is very different from Harry Styles. “I believe people who are familiar with Harry and/or want to imagine Harry will,” Lee previously wrote in a Q&A session about Campbell’s resemblance to Styles.
The Prime Video film will be directed by Michael Showalter (The Big Sick, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, The Dropout), who will also produce alongside Hathaway, Cathy Schulman, Gabrielle Union, Kian Gass, Eric Hayes, Jordana Mollick, and the author of the book .Jennifer Westfeldt will serve as executive producer and scriptwriter.
Currently, there is no release date for The Idea of You. October will mark the start of production on the film.