Peter Hutchings' directorial venture The Hating Game is a romantic comedy film starring Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell.

The film, announced in May 2019, is based on the hit novel by Sally Thorne, narrating the story of kind-hearted Lucy Hutton (Hale) and her cold, efficient nemesis Joshua Templeton (Stowell).

In July 2021, Vertical Entertainment acquired the North American distribution rights to the rom-com after signing a deal with Mister Smith Entertainment.

The latter film production company, owned by David Garrett, is responsible for selling the film's rights in the American Film Market, together with BCDF Pictures, Convergent Media, and Digital Caviar.

'The Hating Game': Release Date and Cast

After the movie's announcement in 2019, filming began on November 21, in upstate New York. Various reports on the film came out afterward, including hints of the release date.

Although it was partial, Variety reported that the film is planned for a theatrical release in late 2021.

In addition to Pretty Little Liars actress Hale and Fantasy Island's Stowell, The Hating Game also comprises a talented bunch of extended cast members, including Nicholas Baroudi, Gina Torres, Corbin Bernsen, Billy Thomas, and Tania Asnes.

Interestingly, Stowell was not the first choice to play the lead opposite Hale. The Flash actor Robbie Amell was first announced to play the part. But Amell later dropped out of the film due to scheduling conflict.

The Story Based on a Novel

The story of The Hating Game follows the lives of Hutton and Templeton, who share a love-hate relationship, according to Thorne's novel. 

As mentioned earlier, the rom-com is based on the hit novel of the same name by Thorne. The novel, published in more than 20 countries, was recognized as the 2018 USA Today bestseller. The synopsis for the film reads:

Resolving to achieve professional success without compromising her ethics, Lucy embarks on a ruthless game of one-upmanship against Josh, a rivalry that is impossibly complicated by her growing attraction to him.

In a public release, Mister Smith Entertainment's Garrett stated the film is a "gloriously funny" intimate love story with a broad audience appeal. He also shared that his company aimed for movies with a clear target demographic, and The Hating Game fit those criteria.

With such positive words for the film, fans have been eagerly waiting for the official movie trailer and the movie, too.

Novel's Ratings and Reviews

The novel has scored an average rating of 4.11 out of 5, with over 253,133 users' ratings on Good Reads.

"I honestly think The Hating Game is that kind of book anyone would enjoy — wonderfully written in a very entertaining way, griping from the very beginning and perfect if you love enemies to lovers stories," a user wrote while giving 5 stars to the book.

Another wrote, "What did I love about The Hating Game? Everything. I loved everything about this book. There is nothing better than finishing a book by an author you’ve never read and having this flying high feeling."

"I really wasn’t sure about this up until the end but once I got there I was squeaaaaaaling," the third comment on Good Reads read.

Going by the raving reviews of the book, it is safe to say that the movie is worth anticipating.