What is The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo based on and is Evelyn Hugo real?

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is one of Taylor Jenkins Reid's most successful books, and it is about to be turned into a brand-new film for Netflix!

On June 29, Netflix announced, "Excited to announce that Leslye Headland will direct and Liz Tigelaar will write the feature film adaptation of the bestselling novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid!"

Liz Tigelaar is the screenwriter for show and is best known for her work on shows such as, Tiny Beautiful Thing and Little Fires Everywhere. Leslye Headland is set to be the director of this film and is best known for her work on The Acolyte, Russian Doll, Sleeping with Other People, and Bachelorette.

This announcement has excited fans but some are wondering what the show will be about and if this story is based on real life? Here's what you need to know...

What is The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo based on?

There are varying reports about which golden age actresses Taylor Jenkins Reid was inspired by when she wrote The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Some have suggested that she was inspired by Marilyn Monroe's career and image as a sex symbol which was used to characterize Evelyn. Others have suggested that the story was loosely inspired by the life of Elizabeth Taylor who was married eight times to seven different men in her life. And others have suggested that the story is inspired on the actress Ava Gardner, who shared her life's story with a journalist named Peter Evans in her book Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations. Suggestions have also been made that Rita Hayworth may have inspired this character as, like Rita, Evelyn also changes her stage name to disguise her Spanish heritage. 

While there are many suggestions about the real-life women who may have influenced Evelyn Hugo's character, the author has remained relatively quiet about who or what she based her novel on. This perhaps suggests that while the character may have been influenced by some of the actresses in this golden age of cinema, this is a unique story and character that isn't truly based on just one person.

What is The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo about?

The synopsis of this story from Netflix reads, "In a long-awaited interview with a young journalist, Evelyn Hugo, an aging Hollywood starlet, pulls back the curtain on her seven marriages, and as she tells tales of Hollywood scandals, betrayals, and woe, she unveils shocking truths about her own life and the lives of everyone around her."

Much like her other successful book Daisy Jones & The Six, which was recently adapted for Amazon Prime, the story will be told with two timelines. One in the present which is between an interviewer and a subject and one in the past which looks back at the events discussed in the interview.

Who has been cast in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo?

Netflix has not yet announced which actors will be portraying the main characters in this film. However, fans are hoping that actresses such as Jessica Chastain, Sophia Vergara, Rita Moreno, and Anya Taylor Joy may be in the running for the lead characters Evelyn Hugo and Celia St James. Vogue also reported that Mexican actor Eiza González could be a potential candidate for playing Evelyn Hugo as she and the author Taylor Jenkins Reid recently followed one another on Instagram - suggesting they may have met in the casting process.