Anna Kendrick to direct Netflix’s Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo adaptation
At the Zurich Film Festival, the actor discussed her excitement about the project and reflected on her career trajectory since Pitch Perfect.
Anna Kendrick will direct The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo for Netflix, an adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s best-selling novel, the actor confirmed at the Zurich Film Festival on Sunday. “Obviously, over the moon and so excited,” Kendrick said of the project, which was announced in June.
Liz Tigelaar, known for Little Fires Everywhere and Casual, wrote the script, with current revisions by Francesca Sloane, who has worked on Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Atlanta and Fargo. Reid is on board as an executive producer.
A director finds her footing
Kendrick recalled experiencing panic before stepping onto the set for her directorial debut, Woman of the Hour, released in 2023. What steadied her nerves was a conversation with Brittany Snow, her co-star from Pitch Perfect, who had navigated similar anxiety when making her own directorial debut, Parachute. “[Snow] is normally so emotionally attuned and sensitive and has all the room in the world for your big feelings,” Kendrick said. “She went: ‘You’re gonna get on set and know what to do, stop it.’ It was just so cut and dry and exactly what I needed to hear.”
The lasting impact of Pitch Perfect
The studio asked her to record a full-length version and film a music video, a request she initially dismissed. “I thought: What a waste of money, but sure!” she recalled.
The track accumulated over 2.5 million digital downloads, over 600 million combined views on YouTube, and peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100—earning Kendrick a platinum record. “I don’t think anything that bizarre will ever happen to me again,” she said. “It was so cool. I got a platinum record to hang in my house, like I’m Snoop Dogg or something!”
A chosen family on screen and off
The film gave Kendrick what she described as ten co-stars who became family “in the truest sense,” including Snow, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp and Hailee Steinfeld. The group maintains an active chat to this day, functioning as a support network. “When someone in the group chat tells us something difficult is happening, it’s like, ok: who is going over to her house tomorrow? What are we doing? How are we figuring this out? It’s beautiful,” she said.
Building a directing career
Kendrick’s directorial ambitions were bolstered by the doors Pitch Perfect opened in her acting career. “Those movies became so successful that it meant that I could get projects greenlit that probably wouldn’t have been greenlit,” she explained. She cited Alice, Darling as a film that would likely not have been made with her in the lead role without the franchise’s success. “Those movies have brought nothing but positive things to me.”
At Zurich to promote Babies, directed by Lauren Miller Rogen and starring Kendrick opposite Seth Rogen, the actor also reflected on playing characters outside her typical casting. She noted that creatives rarely ask her to play anger or rage, but found the prospect of exploring such roles “very challenging and exciting.” The possibility emerged during a scene in Chris Rock’s Misty Green, where she witnessed Daniel Kaluuya move suddenly into explosive anger. “I think that would be something scary and interesting to do,” she said of pursuing such roles further.
This article was compiled by the Glamorade editorial desk from the official announcements and reporting listed under Sources.
