The Idea Of You: Will There Be A Sequel?
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8 months ago
Plus: five films to watch next if you loved it as much as we did
Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine shine in Prime Video’s brand new rom com, The Idea of You. Based on Robinne Lee’s 2017 novel of the same name, the film follows Solène Marchand, the 39-year-old owner of an LA art gallery and single mother who takes her daughter Isabelle to Coachella and a meet-and-greet with her childhood favourite boy band, August Moon. There Solène meets and begins a flirtation with Hayes Campbell, the band’s British cheeky chappy front man. What ensues is an intoxicatingly sweet love story which we just can’t get enough of.
The main question on our lips now, however, is whether there will be a sequel. Here’s everything we know so far – plus five rom coms to sink your teeth into next.
(c) Prime Video
Will There Be A Sequel To The Idea Of You?
Author Robinne Lee has not written a sequel for her successful novel The Idea of You – and it’s unlikely there would be a film sequel without it. At present, Lee is finalising her second novel, which is not about Hayden and Solène, but she hasn’t ruled out revisiting the characters in the future.
That said, the movie version of The Idea of You ends pretty neatly. Solène and Hayden breakup so that daughter Isabelle can have more of a normal childhood. But, flashing forward five years, Hayden eventually returns to visit Solène in LA and, having recently watched him on The Graham Norton Show, she is very happy to see him. And, we assume, the rest is history.
In the novel, however, the ending is different: Solène breaks up with Hayden not for the sake of her daughter but because the pair are at very different stages in their lives. He quits the band for Solène, but she cannot accept him giving up on his career for her, so she tells him she never loved him, only the idea of him. Hayes returns to the band but continues to text and call her, with Solène ignoring him. The novel ends with the following line: ‘And then one day, they stopped. Long, long before I had stopped loving him.’
So the ending is even more open-ended here, and there’s certainly sequel potential. With a new spotlight shining on the film and book, we’ll just have to wait and see what Lee and Prime Video have to say.
(c) Prime Video
5 Movies To Watch If You Liked The Idea Of You
Looking for movies like The Idea of You to watch next? Here are our top picks…
After (2019)
If you’re intrigued by the Harry Styles undertones of The Idea of You, you’ll enjoy the After series of films, which explore the on-again-off-again relationship between Tessa and Hardin. There are currently five, with two more in the works – so plenty to enjoy. netflix.com
Just My Luck (2006)
If you enjoyed the music element of The Idea of You, throw it back to Just My Luck, a noughties classic rom com starring Lindsay Lohan, Chris Pine and British band McFly. disneyplus.com
Red, White & Royal Blue (2023)
Love a forbidden romance? Fan of Nicholas Galitzine? Then another of Prime’s recent films, Red, White & Royal Blue, is the perfect watch. This flick follows Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the son of the US President Ellen Claremont, who falls in love with Prince Henry of Britain. amazon.co.uk
Licorice Pizza (2021)
If the age gap vibe hooked you, try Licorice Pizza, Paul Thomas Anderson’s controversial rom com helmed by Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman, with an ensemble supporting cast including Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper and Benny Safdie. tv.apple.com
The Princess Diaries (2001)
After some more Anne Hathaway content? Relive the magic of her breakout role as Mia Thermopolis, an ordinary, shy teenager who must adapt to a whole new world when she learns she is heir to the throne of a European kingdom. disneyplus.com
Is The Idea Of You Harry Styles Fanfiction?
Despite Hayden’s similarities with the famous One Direction singer Harry Styles, author Lee has derided this take, calling it ‘reductive and dismissive’. Writing for Time, Lee said: ‘Assuming a novel with a fictional celebrity in a relationship must be based on an existing celebrity – in this case, the internet has decided, Harry Styles – is unimaginative at best and sexist at worst.’ Elsewhere, Lee has stated she drew inspiration from Styles along with Prince Harry, ex-boyfriends, her husband and actors Eddie Redmayne and Tom Hiddleston.
Ella Rubin and Anna Hathaway in The Idea Of You (c) Prime Video
Who Wrote The Idea Of You?
American actress Robinne Lee published The Idea of You in 2017, her debut novel. Before pivoting to novel writing, Lee starred in the likes of 13 Going on 30, Hotel for Dogs, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed.
