Movies - Regretting You : From Page to Screen, the Emotional Journey of Colleen Hoover’s Bestseller

By Mulder, 02 september 2025

This fall, the world of cinema is overflowing with literary adaptations, but few carry the emotional weight and cultural impact of Colleen Hoover’s Regretting You. With more than thirty million copies of her novels sold and her name boosted into the stratosphere by the #BookTok phenomenon, Colleen Hoover has become nothing short of a literary rock star. The 2019 novel, which struck a deep chord with readers around the globe, now finds its way onto the big screen under the direction of Josh Boone, best known for his poignant work on The Fault in Our Stars. Bringing such a sensitive and widely adored story to film carries its risks, but the early signs point to an adaptation that understands the power of intimacy, heartbreak, and reconciliation.

The casting choices have been as carefully measured as the emotional beats of the story itself. Allison Williams, who has already proven her ability to navigate layered roles in Get Out and M3GAN, takes on the central part of Morgan Grant, a woman who has sacrificed her own dreams for the sake of her daughter. Opposite her, Mckenna Grace, an actress whose career already seems studded with defining performances (Ghostbusters: Afterlife, The Handmaid’s Tale), steps into the role of Clara, a teenager desperate to carve out her independence even as she wrestles with the shadow of her mother’s protective instincts. Their on-screen dynamic promises to be the heart of the film, one filled with both tenderness and inevitable conflict. Supporting them, Dave Franco, Mason Thames, Willa Fitzgerald, Scott Eastwood, and the iconic Clancy Brown round out a cast that feels purposefully designed to bring both depth and accessibility to the story’s intricate web of family bonds and fractured love.

The film’s narrative, as in the novel, is built on contrasts—protection versus freedom, truth versus secrets, and grief versus resilience. When a devastating tragedy forces long-buried betrayals into the light, both Morgan and Clara find themselves standing at emotional crossroads. Their healing journeys run parallel but never in identical lines: Morgan reaches for solace in an unexpected place, one that she had deliberately kept at arm’s length for years, while Clara edges closer to the boy she was expressly told to avoid. Susan McMartin, tasked with adapting Colleen Hoover’s prose for the screen, seems to have understood that the strength of Regretting You lies in its refusal to simplify emotions. Rather than clean resolutions, the story lingers in the messy, lived-in space of forgiveness, resilience, and the weight of generational choices.

There is also a quiet curiosity around how Josh Boone’s direction will mirror his earlier handling of teenage fragility and adult grief. His reputation rests on his ability to balance sincerity with cinematic lyricism, and in Regretting You, he faces the challenge of blending two points of view without losing the emotional authenticity that drew millions to the novel. The production, shot primarily in Atlanta in spring 2025, has already been described by crew members as “emotionally charged” and “intensely collaborative.” Robert Kulzer, Brunson Green, Anna Todd, and Flavia Viotti serve as producers, bringing together both industry veterans and newer voices to ensure that this project feels like more than a standard adaptation. The involvement of Anna Todd, herself a bestselling author whose After series experienced a successful transition to film, is a particular anecdotal touch of destiny, as if one queen of New Romance was lending her blessing to another.

The release of Regretting You could not be timed better. Its United States premiere on October 24, 2025, courtesy of Paramount Pictures, positions it at the heart of awards season conversations, while Constantin Film handles its European debut. Its arrival comes during a cinematic autumn where novels dominate the marquee, with adaptations of both contemporary sensations and classic works flooding theaters. Yet among these, Regretting You stands apart, not because it aims for spectacle but because it aims for recognition—the kind of recognition that comes when viewers see their own complicated relationships reflected back at them.

For fans of Colleen Hoover, there is something deeply personal about watching these characters come alive on screen. Many will remember where they were when they first devoured the book’s most painful chapters, or how the novel found its way into their lives via the viral tide of TikTok videos. Now, that same intimacy is set to be projected in theaters, allowing for a collective experience of what had once been a private one. And for those who have not read the novel, the film will stand on its own as a story of mothers and daughters, first loves and second chances, and the kind of heartbreak that reshapes lives. In that sense, Regretting You is less about regret than about survival—the ways we stumble, fracture, and still find the courage to reach for love again.

Synopsis :
Morgan Grant put her dreams on hold to raise her daughter Clara. While they share an unwavering love for each other, everything else divides them: their values, their choices, their way of loving and living. Morgan wants to protect Clara at all costs, even if it means suffocating her. Clara, on the other hand, refuses to follow her mother's path and seeks to emancipate herself. But when a brutal tragedy brings to light an unimaginable betrayal, the fragile balance they had built is shattered. In the chaos, Morgan finds unexpected support... from the one person she had kept at a distance for years. Meanwhile, Clara is getting dangerously close to the boy she has been forbidden to love. Two parallel paths, two hearts in recovery, one truth to face.

Regretting You
Directed by Josh Boone
Written by Susan McMartin
Based on Regretting You by Colleen Hoover
Produced by Robert Kulzer, Brunson Green, Anna Todd, Flavia Viotti
Starring Allison Williams, Mckenna Grace, Dave Franco, Mason Thames, Willa Fitzgerald, Scott Eastwood, Clancy Brown
Production companies : Constantin Film, Harbinger Pictures, Frayed Pages Entertainment, Heartbones Entertainment
Distributed by Constantin Film (Germany), Paramount Pictures (Worldwide)
Release dates : October 24, 2025 (United States), October 29, 2025 (France)
Running time : NC