Netflix adapting ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ into feature film

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"The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" has tied the knot with Netflix: The streaming service announced Thursday that it is adapting the 2017 bestselling novel into a feature film.

"Hugo" has been on the New York Times paperback trade fiction bestseller list for 54 weeks and has an enormous following on TikTok (just look for #thesevenhusbandsofevelynhugo). And with good reason: The book is a tell-all from a dying Hollywood diva, who's ready to spill all to a little-known reporter named Monique Grant.

And boy, does Hugo have plenty to say: She talks about how she became a celebrity, walks readers through Hollywood's Golden Age and, of course, gets to those seven nuptials. Naturally, there are lots of secrets being spilled, but one more crops up once Monique arrives: Why did the actor ask her to do this interview?

Author Taylor Jenkins Reid has been clear about her influences, telling HuffPost in 2017 that Elizabeth Taylor (who was married eight times) was certainly in mind.

"You can’t write about an iconic Hollywood star of the '60s without bumping up against Elizabeth Taylor," she said. "And, obviously, the many marriages is a very striking thing Evelyn and Liz have in common. I tried to craft a realistic portrayal of a deeply glamorous and scandalous woman. And when you do that, you’re bound to hit some of the same beats as the great Elizabeth Taylor."

But not just Taylor; Reid also drew from the confessionals and lives of other legendary actors like Rita Hayworth and Ava Gardner, she told PopSugar that year.

Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of
Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of

"Rita Hayworth is a really big inspiration because she was Spanish, and she came to Hollywood and she was getting roles that weren’t leading roles the way that she wanted," said Reid.

"So she changed her name, and she became Rita Hayworth," she continued. "She went red, she curled up her hairline (to look like) a white woman. She also had that famous line, 'Men go to bed with Gilda but wake up with me.' Those two things I thought could really inform Evelyn’s life, given Evelyn is Cuban and she has that same decision to make."

"Hugo" isn't the only novel by Reid receiving the adaptation treatment. "Daisy Jones & The Six" is being turned into a series for Amazon, while the recent book "Malibu Rising" — a Read with Jenna book club pick — is in the works as a show for Hulu.