EXCLUSIVE | ‘The Love Hypothesis’ director finally addresses its surprising ‘Star Wars’ connection
When Tom Bateman was cast as Adam Carlsen in ‘The Love Hypothesis’, fans couldn't help but notice the very ‘Star Wars’-ridden coincidence behind it. So, if you're wondering if the Prime Video adaptation is based on Reylo, there is some truth to that.
For the unversed, Ali Hazelwood's story originally started as Reylo fanfiction based on ‘Star Wars’ characters Rey and Kylo Ren before she reworked it into ‘The Love Hypothesis’, with Olive and Adam as leads. And interestingly, Bateman is married to Daisy Ridley, who played Rey in the ‘Star Wars’ sequel trilogy.
But Bateman wasn't cast because he was married to Ridley. “We didn't cast him because he's married to Daisy,” ‘The Love Hypothesis’ director Claire Scanlon told MTN during an exclusive interview. “That was just a fun happenstance.”
What actually got him the role was how well he fit Hazelwood's description of Adam, along with his chemistry with Lili Reinhart, who plays Olive Smith.
“He's a wonderful actor and he truly embodies the look of, as described in Ali's book, what Dr. Evil looks like,” Scanlon said, adding, “The fact that he was so wonderful and had such great chemistry with Lily in the auditions really was what sealed the deal.”
However, the Daisy Ridley connection ended up being a pretty great Easter egg, especially for ‘Star Wars’ fans who knew about the story's origins. “That was just like a happy Easter egg,” Scanlon said. “Little did we know how happy it would make so many people, you know, [it] made a lot of people very happy as Star Wars fans especially.”
And the Bateman-Ridley casting coincidence isn't the only ‘Star Wars’ Easter egg tucked into the movie. Scanlon has also worked subtle nods to the franchise into the film. So, if you still haven't caught up with the film, run to Prime Video.
