Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman discuss the film «The Love Hypothesis»
24 september 2026 в 18:13
Fans of Ali Hazelwood’s book «The Love Hypothesis» may be surprised by the number of changes and omissions in the new film starring Lili Reinhart. The romantic comedy from Prime Video tells the story of graduate student Olive (Reinhart) and professor Adam (Tom Bateman), who pretend to be in a relationship before real feelings start to interfere. It is known that the novel was originally a fanfic about Rey and Kylo Ren from the «Star Wars» franchise.
Ahead of the film’s premiere, Reinhart and Bateman hinted at some changes made to bring Hazelwood’s vision to life. Reinhart noted at the Obsessed Fest in June 2026 that the script maintained the integrity of the characters and paid homage to the book. Bateman added that everyone involved in the project had a deep love for the original and aimed to make it better.
Despite the changes, Bateman emphasized that the source material always remained the focus of the team. He noted that they did not try to stray from the book but sought to do everything possible to meet audience expectations.
Among the significant changes in the film is the absence of the character Holden Rodriguez, who played an important role in the development of Adam and Olive’s relationship in the book. The film also significantly shortens the scene where Olive and Adam first have sex and alters the moment of their breakup. In the book, it is Olive who ends the relationship after experiencing sexual harassment from Adam’s friend, while in the film, Adam decides to end their «fake» relationship to help Olive focus on her career.
Additionally, the film pays more attention to Olive’s sexuality, which was described more subtly in the book. There is a scene in the film where she realizes that her experience may align with demisexuality. Changes were also made to the character of Anh, who becomes more aware of Olive and Adam’s fake relationship in the film.
The final scene of the book, where Olive and Adam recreate their first kiss a year later, was altered in the film: the action takes place two years later, showing that Olive and Anh have become professors at Stanford.
Ahead of the film’s premiere, Reinhart and Bateman hinted at some changes made to bring Hazelwood’s vision to life. Reinhart noted at the Obsessed Fest in June 2026 that the script maintained the integrity of the characters and paid homage to the book. Bateman added that everyone involved in the project had a deep love for the original and aimed to make it better.
Despite the changes, Bateman emphasized that the source material always remained the focus of the team. He noted that they did not try to stray from the book but sought to do everything possible to meet audience expectations.
Among the significant changes in the film is the absence of the character Holden Rodriguez, who played an important role in the development of Adam and Olive’s relationship in the book. The film also significantly shortens the scene where Olive and Adam first have sex and alters the moment of their breakup. In the book, it is Olive who ends the relationship after experiencing sexual harassment from Adam’s friend, while in the film, Adam decides to end their «fake» relationship to help Olive focus on her career.
Additionally, the film pays more attention to Olive’s sexuality, which was described more subtly in the book. There is a scene in the film where she realizes that her experience may align with demisexuality. Changes were also made to the character of Anh, who becomes more aware of Olive and Adam’s fake relationship in the film.
The final scene of the book, where Olive and Adam recreate their first kiss a year later, was altered in the film: the action takes place two years later, showing that Olive and Anh have become professors at Stanford.
© Smirnova Olga
