After the mega success of “It Ends With Us” at the box office, another Colleen Hoover novel is coming to the screen, this time with an adaptation from Hoover herself.
Universal Pictures has acquired the rights to Hoover’s 2022 novel “Reminders of Him” and has already set a theatrical release date of February 13, 2026.
Hoover also co-wrote the screenplay adaptation of “Reminders of Him,” marking her first script, and will be producing the film as well through Heartbones Entertainment, a new production banner Hoover is also launching alongside her producing partner Lauren Levine. Hoover co-wrote the script with Levine, who previously produced “Bridge to Terabithia” and the series adaptation of Hoover’s book “Confess.”
Universal picked up the rights to “Reminders of Him” in what was described as a highly competitive auction. The book has sold over 5 million copies domestically, 6.5 million globally, and has been adapted into 45 languages. So Universal is surely hoping for another success on par with “It Ends With Us,” the domestic violence drama that has grossed $344 million worldwide in its release from Sony.
“Reminders of Him” is a story about a mother named Kenna Rowan who is seeking redemption after having served five years in prison for a tragic mistake, only to find that everyone in her life with a connection to her daughter is determined to shut her out. Everyone except a local bar owner, who would cause Kenna to lose the trust of everyone if people were to discover how the two are slowly becoming close to each other.
No director or cast has been attached at this stage.
“I am thrilled to be working with Universal to bring Kenna Rowan’s world to life,” Hoover said in a statement. “I hear from many readers who tell me they found something of themselves in her story of living with and through tragedy and doing the often messy and imperfect work of healing and turning the page to a fresh chapter in life. I am excited as ‘Reminders of Him’ holds a special place in my heart too. I feel confident Universal is the right partner to do this story justice. What better way to launch Heartbones Entertainment, my company with producing partner Lauren Levine. Our aim is to create something quite special for everyone.”
“This is a dream debut for Heartbones. We couldn’t have a stronger partner for our first film than Universal or a more representative project for the stories we are passionate about telling than ‘Reminders of Him,’” Levine said in a statement. “Colleen’s legions of fans demonstrate that women are yearning for more authentic stories about their lives. Heartbones aims to deliver to movies what Colleen has done so successfully in publishing, and we know these stories will find emotional and economic resonance in the modern movie business.”
Hoover’s “It Ends With Us” has had some unusual success at the box office, in part because of an ending that changed some key facets of Hoover’s novel, as well as a peculiar press tour from Hoover and star Blake Lively that seemed to ignore the heavy domestic violence subject matter of the story.
Hoover, Levine, and Heartbones Entertainment are represented by UTA and Allison Binder at Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher. The deal was managed by UTA. Hoover’s novels are represented by Jane Dystel at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret and Allison Binder at Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher.
