Anyone else obsessed with the idea of a film based on Harry Styles?
Well, our girl Anne Hathaway is having a moment right now, and not just because she brought Devil Wears Prada vibes back into our lives. The male romantic lead in her new movie, The Idea of You, is rumored to be based on Styles himself.
What is The Idea of You about and who will be in the cast?
The novel—written by Robinne Lee, who is also a coproducer on the film with Hathaway—follows the story of a 40-year-old mom and divorcée Sophie, who starts a love affair with a British pop star name Hayes Campbell, who leads boy band August Moon. Sound familiar yet?
Hathaway will play Sophie, of course, while 28-year-old British actor Nicholas Galitzine (previously seen in Cinderella and Netflix’s Purple Hearts) will play Hayes Campbell.
And is The Idea of You really based on Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde’s relationship?
The novel was published back in 2017, and Styles and Wilde started dating in January 2020—Wilde separated from Jason Sudeikis the same year—so the timeline doesn’t jibe.
“This was never supposed to be a book about Harry Styles,” Lee told Vogue in an interview. “It was supposed to be a story about a woman approaching 40 and reclaiming her sexuality and rediscovering herself, just at the point that society traditionally writes women off as desirable and viable and whole.”
She concedes that she considered both Harry Styles and Prince Harry as inspirations, but Lee also had a relationship with a younger man herself, so it’s more accurate to say the novel, and film, are made up of a mix of influences.
Matt Winkelmeyer
But whether or not The Idea of You is about Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde, it’s set to bring some important issues to the forefront. Lee describes wanting to express the feeling of “restlessness” women feel, “exploring how women of a certain age cease to be seen.”
