Colleen Hoover is the reason that Justin Baldoni chose to be Ryle in 'It Ends With Us'

At this point, it feels like we have all heard of Colleen Hoover. And that makes a lot of sense since her book It Ends With Us has been turned into a movie that releases in theaters on August 9.

Knowing that It Ends With Us the movie is almost here, it makes sense that we are learning more about the project and what led to things like Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni becoming the stars of the film. In particular, a recent report from Entertainment Weekly revealed that originally Baldoni was not planning to star in the film, even if he was going to be working on the project in some capacity.

While he read the book years before it really blew up in popularity, there was something about the book that touched him. And he ended up reaching out to Hoover and that started what was basically a pen pal type of relationship via email. After the book blew up thanks to both TikTok and the pandemic, the book becoming a movie felt inevitable.

How Justin Baldoni ended up in the role of Ryle in It Ends With Us

Originally, Baldoni was going to be working on the film behind the scenes. He was set to be the director on the project, but his assistant mentioned he should play the lead, Ryle. And then he got an email saying basically the same thing from Colleen Hoover. Justin Baldoni shared exactly what Hoover said to him that ultimately convinced him that he was the perfect actor to take on the job.

"Have you ever thought about acting in the movie? Maybe Ryle, perhaps? I think you could do it."

- Colleen Hoover

Of course, while the email did ultimately change his mind about staying behind the scenes only, it took a bit more thinking to make the decision to also be a star of the film. As Baldoni explained his thought process he decided, "Maybe I should really consider this and try to bring something to Ryle that maybe the readers of the book hadn't pictured in their mind."

Ultimately, Justin Baldoni is not only one of the stars of It Ends With Us, but he is also the director. This means that there was even more on his plate as he wanted to make sure that he really told the story the way it was meant to be told. Not only was it about making sure that he lived up to the confidence that Colleen Hoover had in him, but also to the many readers who connected with the storyline.

It can be hard to take a book and turn it into a movie without losing some of what makes it special. There have been plenty of movies that tried to hold onto that spark of bookish magic without success and then there have been the films that really brought something new to the table. While there have certainly been some wins in terms of the book to movie experience, we will have to wait to see whether or not It Ends With Us is able to capture the readers who loved the book in the same way.

While we may love Justin Baldoni as an actor, every role is different. And it will be interesting to see what he brings to the table in this role. Of course, the fact that Colleen Hoover wanted him to bring her character to life is definitely a sign that we will likely see magic happen on screen.

What do you think fellow readers? Are you surprised that Colleen Hoover is the reason that Justin Baldoni is starring in It Ends With Us?