The full-length trailer for The Love Hypothesis was unveiled on Wednesday, offering a first look at Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman as two academics caught in an unexpected fake-dating setup. Adapted from Ali Hazelwood’s bestselling romance novel, the film brings the book’s mix of academia, awkward chemistry and slow-burn romance to the screen.
The trailer shows what is the rom-com about
In the trailer, unveiled on August 26, Olive (Lili Reinhart) is a PhD student who has always been more focused on her academic career than romance. But things get messy when she finds out that her best friend Ahn (Rachel Marsh) is interested in Olive’s former crush, Jeremy (Nicholas Duvernay).
In an attempt to convince Ahn that she has moved on, Olive does something completely unexpected. She kisses Adam Carlsen (Tom Bateman), a tough and intimidating professor who has earned himself the nickname "Dr Evil" for his famously cold personality. One impulsive kiss soon leads to a fake-dating deal between the two. Olive gets to prove to her friend that Jeremy is firmly in her past, while Adam sees the arrangement as a way to reassure Stanford officials that he plans to stay, especially with his grant hanging in the balance.
"A serious girlfriend might change their minds," he tells Olive in the trailer. But keeping up the act becomes harder when the chemistry between them starts to feel a little too real. This was supposed to be a simple arrangement, but it slowly turns into something neither Olive nor Adam saw coming, leaving Olive to wonder if their fake relationship could actually turn into the real thing.
{{/usCountry}}"A serious girlfriend might change their minds," he tells Olive in the trailer. But keeping up the act becomes harder when the chemistry between them starts to feel a little too real. This was supposed to be a simple arrangement, but it slowly turns into something neither Olive nor Adam saw coming, leaving Olive to wonder if their fake relationship could actually turn into the real thing.
{{/usCountry}}The creative team
Claire Scanlon, who directed the Netflix rom-com Set It Up, is at the helm of the film. The screenplay has been penned by Sarah Rothschild, who also wrote The Sleepover, with Elizabeth Cantillon serving as the producer.
What Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman said about the adaptation
Lili opened up about the film at Prime Video’s Obsessed Fest in June, revealing that a romantic comedy wasn’t something she had initially planned to take on. However, reading the script changed her mind. "The script was brought to me. I hadn't read the book yet, but as soon as I got the script, I read the script, and then I went and read the book, and then I felt convinced to do it. The importance of the book — it's the source material we wanted to totally respect, [which] I think our writer, Sarah, absolutely did. So yeah, the heart of the book is in the film”.
Tom also spoke about how closely the team stayed connected to Hazelwood’s book while making the film. He said the novel was "always front and center" during the process, with everyone involved wanting to get the adaptation right for the fans. "Every single person involved with this had such a deep love for the book and for doing it justice for everyone that loves it," he added.
From fan fiction to a bestselling novel
The Love Hypothesis took a rather unexpected route to the big screen. Ali Hazelwood’s story first began as Star Wars-inspired Reylo fan fiction before evolving into the novel that became a bestseller after its 2021 release by Berkley. The book also helped establish Hazelwood’s signature style of blending romance with academia, STEM and plenty of workplace tension.
When and where to watch the film
With fake dating, academic drama, friendship and plenty of romantic tension, The Love Hypothesis is all set to bring Ali Hazelwood’s much-loved story to the screen. The film is part of Prime Video’s “Obsession is in Session” initiative, which features a lineup of YA titles for younger audiences. The Love Hypothesis premieres globally on Prime Video on September 23.