Yes, ‘The Love Hypothesis’ Was Based on a ‘Star Wars’ Fanfic — Here’s What That Was About

If you’ve heard anything about “The Love Hypothesis” in recent weeks, you might have also heard something about “Star Wars.” That may seem odd, considering the two are very different movies, but there is actually a real connection there. “The Love Hypothesis” stars Lili Reinhart as Olive, a Ph.D. student working to cure pancreatic cancer. When she arrives at Stanford, she quickly becomes best friends with Anh (Rachel Marsh). As the years go by, Olive develops feelings for Jeremy (Nicholas Duvernay), but he has feelings for Anh. So, in an effort to encourage her best friend to pursue what is clearly a mutual attraction, Olive makes up a boyfriend. He’s a very real man, though, to be clear. His name is Adam Carlsen, but the students refer to him as Dr. Evil, for how tough a professor her is. Adam agrees to start fake dating Olive, and naturally, the two quickly fall in love for real. So where’s the “Star Wars” connection? Well, “The Love Hypothesis” is an adaptation of Ali Hazelwood’s book of the same name. But that book was originally published online in 2018, as a “Star Wars” fanfiction called “Head Over Feet.” The story then followed Kylo Ren and Rey, a relationship dubbed “Reylo” online by shippers who wanted to see them paired romantically. “Head Over Feet” dropped the pair into an academic setting instead of a galaxy far, far away. The fanfic was taken down from its original site long ago — though if you comb the right corners of the internet, you may find it — when “The Love Hypothesis” published. The story was similar though, featuring Rey as a student and Kylo Ren as a professor who start fake dating. The “Star Wars” movies connection There’s an added layer to this, too. In the film adaptation of “The Love Hypothesis,” Tom Bateman stars as Adam Carlsen, the character based on Kylo Ren. As it happens, Bateman is married in real life to Daisy Ridley, who played Rey in J.J. Abrams’ sequel series. Daisy Ridley and Tom Bateman attend SAG-AFTRA Foundation conversations about “Magpie” in New York City. (Credit: Jason Mendez/Getty Images) For the record, though, that connection wasn’t a factor in casting Bateman. Scanlon was definitely aware of it, but it was not even a little bit of a deciding factor in choosing him to play Adam. “I mean, that’s funny, and it’s a fun aside, but like, when you really — you need someone to rely on to embody the character, you can’t mess around,” she told TheWrap. Producer Elizabeth Cantillon agreed, adding that “it can’t be a gimmick.” “You can’t cast a lead role as a gimmick,” Scanlon echoed. “You could probably do like a cameo, but not for real. He’s a solid, wonderful actor who’s actually got great comedy chops. And he really can tap into the soul and just the heart of this character who’s been bullied, and his lack of vulnerability, and he just has this extreme armor around him.” Star Wars Easter eggs That said, Scanlon still threw in a few winks at the “Star Wars” of it all. There are a few scenes in which Bateman’s character storms down a hallway, dressed in all black, looking very Sith-like. Keen listeners will notice that even the score surrounding that strut feels very “Star Wars” too. Don’t worry, Scanlon assured that was done on purpose. “Oh no, that was intentional,” she said. “You’re not crazy.” As an added Easter egg, “The Love Hypothesis” opens with a needle drop of Gracie Abrams’ “Mess It Up.” She is the daughter of J.J. Abrams, who produced the “Star Wars” sequel films that inspired the fanfiction this movie is now based on. “They’re small [Easter eggs],” she said with a smile. “But that’s not like casting a whole movie.” “The Love Hypothesis” is now streaming on Prime Video.