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[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Colleen Hoover’s It Starts With Us.]
It’s the question on every It Ends With Us fan’s mind: Will there be a sequel? After the massive success of It Ends With Us, Colleen Hoover published the highly-anticipated follow-up It Starts With Us in 2022.
With a sequel right in front of us, the world is wondering if It Starts With Us will get the big-screen treatment, too. Director and star Justin Baldoni has already weighed in about the possibility of a sequel. As It Ends With Us hits theaters, let’s dive into what we know about a movie adaptation of It Starts With Us and what’s next for Lily Bloom (Blake Lively), Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), and Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni).
Will there be an It Starts With Us movie?
Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, got the rights to It Ends With Us in 2019. It Starts With Us wasn’t released until 2022. As of August 2024, the rights to It Starts With Us have not been secured, so a film adaptation hasn’t been announced.
The sequel will likely depend on the success of It Ends With Us. The movie earned a solid $7 million in Thursday previews ahead of opening weekend, so we’re optimistic about It Starts With Us.
What has the cast said about It Starts With Us?
Baldoni told TV Insider that he hasn’t approached Hoover and Lively about adapting It Starts With Us yet. “I have no idea what that story would be,” Baldoni told TV Insider. “I’m somebody who’s just doing my best to stay in the present and stay in the here and in the now and not think too far ahead. I’m just kind of doing my best to take this all in because it’s been five years to even get us here. So I can’t even fathom another story yet, but I’m so happy that fans love it and that she did it.”
In a separate interview at the film’s premiere, Baldoni hinted that he wouldn’t direct the sequel. “I think that there are better people for that one,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “I think Blake Lively’s ready to direct, that’s what I think.”
In response to Baldoni pitching Lively as the director for It Starts With Us, Hoover said she’d “absolutely” be down for that. “I’ve had the best time working with everyone on this movie,” the author told ET. “I think whoever decides to take charge of the next one would do it justice. I think they’re all in it for the right reasons, so I think that will be exciting. But it’s a lot of people to get the same schedules together again, so we’ll see.”
Who would return for It Starts With Us?
Lily, Atlas, and Ryle are all featured in It Starts With Us, so Lively, Sklenar, and Baldoni would be expected to return. It Starts With Us also includes more flashbacks, so Isabela Ferrer and Alex Neustaedter would likely reprise their roles as well.
Lily and Ryle’s daughter, Emerson, would also play a bigger role in the sequel. It Starts With Us also introduces us to Atlas’ mother, Sutton, and his brother, Josh, so these roles would have to be cast.
What is It Starts With Us about?
The novel picks up after the events of It Ends With Us. The story follows Lily and Atlas as they rekindle their relationship after Lily divorces Ryle. Lily is also navigating a co-parenting relationship with Ryle.
The sequel explores Atlas’ complicated family dynamics. Similar to Lily, he grew up in an abusive household. His mother and stepfather kicked him out when he was a teenager, which led him to Lily. In It Starts With Us, Atlas ultimately fights for parental rights over his younger brother, Josh. His mother, Sutton, eventually agrees to his terms.
The novel ends with Lily and Atlas getting married.
It Ends With Us, In Theaters Now
