Blake Lively’s It Ends With Us Gets New Release Date

Blake Lively’s upcoming feature will hit theaters later this summer.

PEOPLE confirms the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us, starring Lively will now head to theaters on Aug. 9.

The film was initially slated to be released on Feb. 9 but then was pushed back to June 21. However, fans will have to wait another seven more weeks. 

Lively, 36, executive produced the film and leads as Lily Bloom. She stars alongside Justin Baldoni, who portrays Ryle Kincaid, with whom Lively’s character falls in love, and directed the upcoming adaptation. 

The stars were spotted filming in Jersey City, N.J., in May 2023, but the production shut down a month later due to the ongoing writers’ strike. Filming picked back up in early 2024.

The Jane the Virgin alum and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, optioned the book in 2019, but cast announcements weren’t confirmed until January 2023.

Brandon Sklenar also stars as Lily’s first love, Atlas Corrigan, who unexpectedly returns to her life. Alex Neustaedter portrays young Atlas, and Isabela Ferrer portrays young Lily. Jenny Slate plays Ryle’s sister, Allysa.

According to the film’s official synopsis, “Lily Bloom thinks she’s found the love of her life in Ryle Kincaid. However, after a troubling incident of abuse reminds her of her dark past, she must decide if love alone can carry her marriage through. Further complicating things is the return of her first love into her life: a man who she took in many years prior when he was homeless.”

Following the casting announcements, Hoover faced backlash because Lively and Baldoni are significantly older than their It Ends with Us characters.

According to Today, the author explained in June 2023 why she went with more mature actors, admitting that her creation of the characters at a younger age was a mistake.

“Back when I wrote It Ends With Us, the new adult (genre) was very popular. You were writing college-age characters. That’s what I was contracted to do. I made Lily very young,” confessing, “I didn’t know that neurosurgeons went to school for 50 years.” 

“There’s not a 20-something neurosurgeon,” added the author, 44. “As I started making this movie, I’m like, ‘We need to age them out because I messed up,’ ” she said. “So that’s my fault.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

It Ends With Us will be in theaters on Aug. 9.