Jessica Chastain turns down all Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo

It turns out that fans don’t have as much power over movies as they might think. Sure, every now and then, they can will a John Krasinski into a Multiverse Of Madness or the teeth out of Sonic the Hedgehog’s head. But the almighty Jessica Chastain will not bend to their demands.

Despite much speculation, Chastain will not star in a film adaptation of the Taylor Jenkins Reid bestseller, The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo. After a year of fans demanding she sign copies of the book (but never a contract), the Oscar-winner told E! News that there is “zero possibility” of her playing Celia St. James in the film, which is probably just as well because, though Chastain loves “how excited the fans are” about Netflix’s upcoming adaptation, being cast by the Evelyn Hugo-heads out there sounds exhausting. When Chastain appeared in A Doll’s House on Broadway, fans would be outside “every single day” with copies of the book for her to sign.

Earlier this year, Chastain made the unfortunate mistake of saying she was open to receiving a script for the film on Watch What Happens Live. Those haunting five words (“Sure, send me a script”) backfired, and Chastain’s fan-casting became gospel. Fans began asking Chastain to sign copies of Reid’s book. Chastain refused because she wasn’t “attached” and that “it feels wrong and like I’m taking credit for someone else’s work.”

Adaptations by Taylor Jenkins Reid are quickly replacing those superhero properties everyone’s tired of. 2023 saw the release of two filmed versions of her work, One True Loves and Daisy Jones And The Six. The latter received praise from the surviving members of Fleetwood Mac, which is more than we can say for the former. Nevertheless, more Reid is on the way. Little Fires Everywhere showrunner Liz Tigelaar is reportedly working on an adaptation of Reid’s 2021 book, Malibu Rising. Maybe there’s a part for Jessica Chastain in that?