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MRC

The Love Hypothesis

· Ali Hazelwood Adaptations

2026
Romance Comedy
Prime Video
Where to Watch

Overview

Biology Ph.D. candidate Olive Smith impulsively kisses intimidating professor Adam Carlsen to convince her best friend that she has moved on from a former crush. Their improvised deception develops into a mutually beneficial fake relationship, but carefully established rules become difficult to maintain when genuine feelings emerge.

Editorial Review

Overview

Directed by Claire Scanlon, The Love Hypothesis is a romantic comedy adapted from Ali Hazelwood's bestselling 2021 novel. Lili Reinhart stars as graduate student Olive Smith opposite Tom Bateman as professor Adam Carlsen.

Pros

  • Popular fake-dating romance premise
  • Adapted from a bestselling contemporary romance novel
  • Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman lead the cast
  • Academic and scientific setting
  • Author Ali Hazelwood is involved as an executive producer
  • Global Prime Video release

Cons

  • The finished film has not yet been released for critical assessment
  • Official runtime and age rating remain unconfirmed
  • Adaptation changes have not been fully documented
  • No verified audience or critic scores are available before release

AI Review

A skeptical biology Ph.D. candidate enters a fake relationship with an intimidating professor, only to discover that their carefully controlled experiment is developing into genuine love.

Recommended for viewers who enjoy fake-dating stories, academic romantic comedies, BookTok adaptations and contemporary romance films.

Timeline

Release Date
Theatrical Date
Digital Date
Premiere
Status
Source publication

Ali Hazelwood's debut romance novel The Love Hypothesis was published in 2021.

Rights acquisition

Bisous Pictures acquired adaptation rights to the novel in 2022.

Development

The adaptation was developed with MRC and Amazon MGM Studios, with Sarah Rothschild writing the screenplay.

Director attached

Claire Scanlon joined the project as director.

Lead casting

Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman were announced as Olive Smith and Adam Carlsen in July 2025.

Supporting cast

Rachel Marsh, Nicholas Duvernay, Jaboukie Young-White and Arty Froushan joined the cast in August 2025.

Principal photography

Filming took place in Montreal from July 11 through August 29, 2025.

First look

Prime Video released the first official promotional images in 2026.

Teaser reveal

Prime Video presented teaser footage during Obsessed Fest on June 27, 2026.

Streaming release

The Love Hypothesis is scheduled to stream globally on Prime Video on September 23, 2026.

Production

Source publication

Ali Hazelwood's debut romance novel The Love Hypothesis was published in 2021.

Rights acquisition

Bisous Pictures acquired adaptation rights to the novel in 2022.

Development

The adaptation was developed with MRC and Amazon MGM Studios, with Sarah Rothschild writing the screenplay.

Director attached

Claire Scanlon joined the project as director.

Lead casting

Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman were announced as Olive Smith and Adam Carlsen in July 2025.

Supporting cast

Rachel Marsh, Nicholas Duvernay, Jaboukie Young-White and Arty Froushan joined the cast in August 2025.

Principal photography

Filming took place in Montreal from July 11 through August 29, 2025.

First look

Prime Video released the first official promotional images in 2026.

Teaser reveal

Prime Video presented teaser footage during Obsessed Fest on June 27, 2026.

Streaming release

The Love Hypothesis is scheduled to stream globally on Prime Video on September 23, 2026.

Streaming

Prime Video

Cast

Lili Reinhart Olive Smith
Tom Bateman Dr. Adam Carlsen
Rachel Marsh Anh
Nicholas Duvernay Jeremy
Jaboukie Young-White Malcolm
Arty Froushan Tom
Aadi Maaj

Characters

Olive Smith Lili Reinhart
Dr. Adam Carlsen Tom Bateman
Anh Rachel Marsh
Jeremy Nicholas Duvernay
Malcolm Jaboukie Young-White
Tom Arty Froushan

Crew

Claire Scanlon Director
Sarah Rothschild Screenwriter
Ali Hazelwood Author of Source Material and Executive Producer
Elizabeth Cantillon Producer
Lili Reinhart Executive Producer
Catherine Hagedorn Executive Producer
Tia Nolan Editor

Trivia

  • The film is adapted from Ali Hazelwood's debut novel, published in 2021.
  • The novel developed from an earlier story titled Head Over Feet.
  • The original story was inspired by the Star Wars pairing commonly known as Reylo.
  • Lili Reinhart serves as an executive producer in addition to playing Olive Smith.
  • Ali Hazelwood is an executive producer as well as the author of the source novel.
  • Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman were announced as the two lead actors on consecutive days in July 2025.
  • Principal photography took place in Montreal, Quebec, during July and August 2025.
  • Concordia University in Montreal was used as a filming location.
  • Prime Video revealed teaser footage at its inaugural Obsessed Fest event in Los Angeles on June 27, 2026.
  • The film is scheduled to launch globally rather than receiving a confirmed wide theatrical release.

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A skeptical biology Ph.D. candidate enters a fake relationship with an intimidating professor, only to discover that their carefully controlled experiment is developing into genuine love. Similar picks: Highly Rated Romance

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