Anna Kendrick has found her next project as a director.
The actress and director, 40, is following her directorial debut, Woman of the Hour, with Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s best-selling novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, PEOPLE confirms on Monday, June 1. Deadline was first to report the news.
The script, written by Little Fires Everywhere‘s Liz Tigelaar with current revisions by Mr. & Mrs. Smith‘s Francesca Sloane, is adapted from Jenkins Reid’s book of the same name, following a young journalist who is tasked with writing a long-awaited biography of Evelyn Hugo, a Marilyn Monroe-esque star who disappeared from the public eye.
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In the tale, Evelyn prepares to peel back the curtain on her seven marriages — and reveals shocking truths while she’s at it. The book has sold over 24 million copies worldwide in 43 languages.
The film, which is executive-produced by Jenkins Reid, was first announced in March 2022 when Netflix acquired rights to the novel. Updates have been scarce since, though fans have offered a number of their own suggestions and theories as to who should take on the lead roles.
For the role of Evelyn, who is described as a sultry and passionate Cuban-American actress in the books, fans have proposed Ana de Armas, Eiza González, Sofia Vergara and Salma Hayek.
González has previously said that it would be an “honor” to play the part, while de Armas similarly remarked that she would “love” to.
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Meanwhile, readers have suggested Jessica Chastain for the part of Celia St. James, Evelyn’s rival. The rumors amped up after Watch What Happens Live host Andy Cohen asked the actress whether she’d have interest in playing the part during a January 2023 episode of the show, to which she said, “Sure, send me a script.”
The hype got so big soon after that Chastain went online to clarify that she wasn’t attached to the project. She later confirmed there was “zero possibility” of her taking the role.
Kendrick’s announcement as the film’s director marks a major update for the project and follows the success of the actress’ 2023 directorial debut with Netflix, which scored a 91% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Kendrick most recently starred in 2025’s Another Simple Favor and is currently filming A24’s Misty Green with Chris Rock.