Is that…a smile that we’re seeing on Adam Carlsen?! Not only would all of Stanford be freaking out over this, but so are all of us as we finally get a closer look atthe upcoming adaptation of Ali Hazelwood’s hit book, The Love Hypothesis.

The film, which stars Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman, follows PhD student Olive Smith and biology professor Dr. Adam Carlsen, whose reputation for being one of the toughest teachers on campus certainly precedes him. And when Olive needs to prove to her BFF that her dating life, well, exists, an unlikely kiss between them brings them together for the ultimate fake relationship.

“One of the most enjoyable parts of making this film was how well Lili and I got on and how that informed our on-camera chemistry,” star Tom Bateman exclusively told Cosmopolitan. “We really cared about these brilliant and beloved characters, and we bonded in our shared dream of making sure the relationship between the two of them feels organic and authentic.”

And the chemistry is most certainly there! Lili, in particular, gave fans a big inside look throughout filming, including a swoon-y video where he picks her up. And it seems like it happens again in the movie as seen in the exclusive photo below:

“I had the best time with Tom. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner in all of this. He is the complete opposite of Adam in real life, so seeing him tap into this darker version of himself was very fun to watch,” Lili said. “I actually just can’t believe how lucky we got in casting Tom. It’s scary at first when you think, Oh my gosh, how are we going to find the right actor who checks all these boxes, but he absolutely did.”

The experience of bringing Olive to life is familiar to Lili, who equates the experience to her previous starring gig on Riverdale.

“I feel very lucky to play Olive. It really means so much to bring characters to life who mean something to people, as I experienced on Riverdale. There’s nothing like it,” she revealed. “It adds an extra layer of pressure and sensitivity in protecting them but also, I bring my own spin on the women I play. I just hope people love and respond to the version of her that we’ve made here in the film.”

Adam is certainly in our Mount Rushmore of book boyfriends and if you haven’t read the book yet, you’re going to have to wait and see how it all unfolds. As readers already know, there’s more to him than meets the eye.

“Bringing Adam to life was such fun. Though he comes across as cold and unfeeling at first, he is only hiding behind a self-built wall of protection,” Tom noted. “Exploring his vulnerabilities and his journey toward letting someone get close to him was really exciting to play.”

Ali Hazelwood’s debut novel didn’t just turn her into one of the most popular authors in the game and launch a new kind of subgenre known as “STEMinist,” but she also gave us a cover that fans were dying to see replicated IRL when the movie was announced.

“That first kiss is a lot of pressure—it’s the book cover, after all! We shot a few different angles of it to find the right one,” Lili said. “We had fun doing that scene and it was actually sort of an ice-breaker for us as actors as well; it was our first kissing scene of the movie.”

“What I love about the first kiss and, in fact, the entire romantic relationship between Adam and Olive is that it’s unexpected and messy. It’s funny and surprising,” Tom added. “That’s what life is, really. That first kiss is a moment that those who love the book will be looking forward to and figuring that moment out and bringing it to life with Lili was exciting.”

And, yes, they absolutely have AH’s stamp of approval.

“It’s incredible how they were able to capture both the over-the-top, funny aspects of Olive and Adam and their more vulnerable sides,” Ali Hazelwood told us. “They have great chemistry, both with each other and with the rest of the cast. They made me fall for these characters all over again at a point in time when I really needed it, which felt like a real privilege.”

One other big thing that the bestselling author is looking forward to fans seeing? The other incredible characters that round out the cast.

“I look forward to people seeing Olive interact with Anh and Malcolm—their friendships are really well developed and one of the driving forces of the story,” she added.

It helps, of course, that they are played by some iconic players in the game. Rachel Marsh plays Anh while Jaboukie Young-White portrays Malcolm. Not Suitable for Work star Nicholas Duvernay is also featured as Jeremy.

Of course, we can’t leave you with just that. So here’s one more exciting thing to look forward to thanks to a big reveal from the author herself.

“My favorite scene in the movie is something totally new that the screenwriter, Sarah Rothschild, came up with: a student party that Olive asks Adam to attend,” Ali revealed. “It’s hilarious, and almost made me miss grad school (JK, I would never.)”

The Love Hypothesis premieres on Prime Video on September 23, 2026.