{"id":248841,"date":"2026-06-27T20:17:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T20:17:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/27\/how-is-the-love-hypothesis-connected-to-star-wars-backstory-explained-after-tom-batemans-casting\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T20:17:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T20:17:41","slug":"how-is-the-love-hypothesis-connected-to-star-wars-backstory-explained-after-tom-batemans-casting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/27\/how-is-the-love-hypothesis-connected-to-star-wars-backstory-explained-after-tom-batemans-casting\/","title":{"rendered":"How Is \u2018The Love Hypothesis\u2019 Connected to \u2018Star Wars\u2019? Backstory Explained After Tom Bateman\u2019s Casting\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

Tom Bateman<\/strong> joining the film adaptation of The Love Hypothesis<\/em> is a casting of epic proportions if you know the Star Wars<\/em><\/a> \u2014 and Reylo \u2014 lore, but how are the two connected?<\/p>\n

Ali Hazelwood<\/strong>\u2018s The Love Hypothesis<\/em> was an overnight success<\/a> when the book was published in 2021. But to some Star Wars fans \u2014 at least if you rooted for Rey (Daisy Ridley<\/strong><\/a>) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver<\/strong><\/a>) \u2014 it might have sounded familiar after getting its start as fanfiction.<\/p>\n

According to the synopsis, The Love Hypothesis follows Olive as she tries to convince her best friend into thinking her dating life is great. To help with the lie, she pretends to date her professor, Adam, and the twosome try to make everyone around them think they are in love. But soon, they start to forget that their feelings are supposed to be fake.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Love Hypothesis<\/em> becoming a mainstream hit paved the way for it to be developed into a movie,<\/a> which is where things get interesting. In October 2022, it was announced that a film adaptation of the novel was in development and three years later Lili Reinhart<\/strong> joined the cast. It wasn\u2019t until her onscreen love interest \u2014 Bateman \u2014 was announced that people pointed out the irony.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t
\n Related: <\/span>Us Breaks Down Casting Choices for 9 Highly Anticipated Book Adaptations<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n\t\t\tDoes the actor fit the book? Chalk this up as a question readers ask every time a new film adaptation is announced. From Scarlett O\u2019Hara to Bella Swan, Harry Potter to Mr. Darcy, the casting of well-known, well-loved book characters is a delicate art. For every actor fans embrace, there\u2019s another they want to cast [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Bateman isn\u2019t just known for his roles in Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile<\/em> and Based on a True Story<\/em>. He has also been married to Ridley since 2023. Yes, the same actress who inspired the fanfiction<\/a> that then was redeveloped as The Love Hypothesis<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Keep scrolling for a breakdown of the connection \u2014 including what Ridley has said about The Love Hypothesis<\/em>:<\/p>\n

What Inspired \u2018The Love Hypothesis\u2019?<\/h2>\n
\n
\"How<\/div>
Courtesy of Lili Reinhart\/TikTok<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Before Hazelwood\u2019s The Love Hypothesis<\/em> was in fact The Love Hypothesis. It was originally a fan fiction story about Rey and Kylo Ren \u00a0from the new Star Wars<\/em> movies.<\/a> Similar to Fifty Shades of Grey<\/em> getting its star as Twilight<\/em> fan fiction, The Love Hypothesis<\/em> was a story posted to Archive of Our Own with the title Head Over Feet<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy agent started reading my fanfiction on AO3 and then she reached out with a DM. She was like, \u2018I saw that you wrote something about maybe pulling some of your fics and reworking them. And I wanted to tell you that I\u2019m a literary agent and I would love to see you some of your manuscripts, if you\u2019re interested in it,’\u201d the author told Collider<\/em> in 2021. \u201cAnd so that\u2019s how I took the fanfiction of mine that I thought was the most reworkable and I sent it to her and then I signed with her. And then after approximately 70 billion more revisions, both with her and an editor \u2026 we got a lot of RNRs [revise and resubmits] that didn\u2019t pan out but made the book better, because we got really good feedback.\u201d<\/p>\n

How Does Reylo Fit Into the \u2018Star Wars\u2019 Equation?<\/h2>\n
\n
\"How<\/div>
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures \/ \u00a9 Lucasfilm \/ courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Star Wars<\/em> sequel trilogy introduced viewers to a new generation of characters \u2014 and relationships. The Force Awakens<\/em>, which premiered in 2015, hinted at a potential romance between Rey and Finn (John Boyega<\/strong>) after they joined the Resistance in an effort to take down the First Order.<\/p>\n

In the next two films, Finn\u2019s story line was put on the back burner<\/a> as Rey\u2019s unexplained connection with Kylo Ren took center stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think [their relationship is] all one thing,\u201d Driver explained to Entertainment Weekly in 2019. \u201cPart of the fun of playing it is the boundaries of it keep changing. At times it\u2019s more intimate, sometimes less intimate. Sometimes it\u2019s codependent. And then it\u2019s, obviously, adversarial.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Ridley questioned what kind of future the pair could have together. \u201cI do know about Reylo. I don\u2019t know how I feel about it because everyone\u2019s talking about the toxic thing of a relationship when it\u2019s essentially emotional [abuse]. It\u2019s a tricky road,\u201d the actress told fans at Star Wars Celebration that same year.<\/p>\n

She added: \u201cI do feel like, deep down, Kylo thinks what he\u2019s doing is right and he doesn\u2019t think he\u2019s wrong, but he has also killed so many people. So I can\u2019t really get behind in that, in a personal way. Maybe there\u2019s redemption. Who knows? Maybe we explore that in the film.\u201d<\/p>\n

In The Last Jedi<\/em>, Rey and Kylo Ren shared a kiss before the<\/a> villain\u2019s ultimate demise. They don\u2019tend up together, however, since Kylo Ren dies by the end of the movie.<\/p>\n

What Hints at Reylo Have Remained in \u2018The Love Hypothesis\u2019?<\/h2>\n
\n
\"How<\/div>
Jason Mendez\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After being published online in 2018 as Head Over Feet<\/em><\/a>, the main characters were renamed Olive and Adam (in honor of Adam Driver) once the story turned into a novel. The Star Wars<\/em> references were also cut but the cover still features characters designed to resemble Driver and Ridley.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\"\"
\n\t\"\"<\/p>\n