Author Colleen Hoover has revealed she will not be attending the upcoming premiere for her new movie, nor a planned book event with Lukas Gage, after being scheduled for "unavoidable surgery". The It Ends With Us author took to social media to apologize to fans, sharing that she was "so sad" to miss the movie release and premiere but " so grateful to all the actors and the team who put this together".
"I hate to have to announce this, but I will not be moderating the signing for @lukasgage this month, nor will I be able to attend the premiere or any events for @regrettingyoumovie," Colleen wrote on Instagram alongside a carousel of pictures of the promotional toue so far. "I’m super bummed, but [I] am having an unavoidable surgery and can’t travel for a while. But please show up for @lukasgage and also for @regrettingyoumovie."
Colleen asked fans to tag her in "all your posts" when they visit the movie theatre to see the film, adding: "I'll live vicariously through you guys. So sad to miss this movie release and premiere, but so grateful to all the actors and the team who put this together."
Regretting You stars Girls' actress Allison Williams, McKenna Grace, and Dave Franco, and is based on Colleen's novel of the same name. "When a devastating accident reveals a shocking betrayal, Morgan Grant and her daughter, Clara, explore what's left behind as they confront family secrets, redefine love, and rediscover each other," reads the synopsis.
Colleen found fame in the COVID-19 pandemic when her book It Ends With Us became a TikTok sensation. Blake Lively and Colleen Hoover starred in the film adaptation, released in August 2024, but behind-the-scenes drama has left the film in the middle of an ongoing court battle.
After the press tour was dogged with controversies painting Blake in a bad light, the actress filed a suit against Justin to reclaim her voice and help "protect others who may be targeted" for speaking out against misconduct in the workplace.
Blake also claimed in her suit that she took her complaints to the higher-ups at the production company Wayfarer Studios, but swift action was not taken to address the issue.
Justin refuted the claims, calling her legal action "false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to hurt". He filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times for libel, claiming that they had falsely reported on Blake's suit and failed to uphold balanced reporting standards.
He also filed a suit against Blake, her husband Ryan Reynolds, publicist Leslie Sloane and her PR firm, alleging that the party had attempted to extort and defame him.
Both this suit and his claims against The Times have been dismissed as of June 9, 2025.
Colleen was not named in either lawsuit, but in late 2024, she shared a message on Instagram about Blake's unwavering strength. She later deleted all her posts from the promotional tour of the film.
The author is in the process of working with various studios on adaptations of three other books; Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson have both joined the film adaptation of Verity at Amazon MGM, while Universal is adapting Reminders Of Him for a 2026 release with Lainey Wilson set to star.