{"id":905942,"date":"2026-09-26T07:34:21","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T07:34:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/905942\/"},"modified":"2026-09-26T07:34:21","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T07:34:21","slug":"the-love-hypothesis-star-wars-easter-eggs-confirmed-by-director","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/905942\/","title":{"rendered":"‘The Love Hypothesis’: ‘Star Wars’ Easter Eggs Confirmed by Director"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\u201cStar Wars<\/a>\u201d has featured iconic locations throughout the franchise, taking audiences to Tatooine, Naboo and now, a campus biology lab at Stanford University.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe romantic comedy \u201cLove Hypothesis\u201d premiered on Amazon Prime on Sept. 23, featuring Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman as romantic interests who get caught in a fake-dating-turned-real-love trope. On the surface, there is no obvious connection to George Lucas\u2019 franchise, but the story\u2019s origin is actually deeply rooted in a galaxy far, far away.<\/p>\n

\n\tAli Hazelwood\u2019s 2021 source novel of the same name was originally written as a fan fiction about the \u201cStar Wars\u201d sequel trilogy\u2019s Kylo Ren and Rey, titled \u201cHead Over Feet.\u201d She ultimately transformed her 2018 narrative into a New York Times bestselling novel years later, removing the most obvious \u201cStar Wars\u201d references. But those familiar with the story\u2019s source material will be able to spot plenty of Jedi-adjacent references throughout the romantic comedy.<\/p>\n

\n\tClaire Scanlon<\/a>, the film\u2019s director, took a break from filming her next project, the Netflix comedy series \u201cI Suck at Girls,\u201d to break down the \u201cStar Wars\u201d references featured in \u201cLove Hypothesis.\u201d She reveals she wasn\u2019t initially aware the plot was based on a fanfiction between Kylo and Rey, let alone the novel\u2019s popularity on BookTok, a TikTok community that shares reading recommendations with each other.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cElizabeth [Cantillon, the film\u2019s producer] said, \u2018This is based on a book about \u201cStar Wars\u201d fan fiction and it\u2019s from BookTok,\u2019\u201d Scanlon says while laughing. \u201cAnd I was like, \u2018I understand none of the words you just said to me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tPerhaps the most overt nod to the galactic universe is the casting of Bateman, who plays the hard-shelled Kylo Ren-inspired Adam Carlsen. In real life, the actor is married to Daisy Ridley, who originated the role of Rey, though Scanlon confirms this connection didn\u2019t influence his casting.<\/p>\n

\n\tFans may have also picked up on the film\u2019s opening song, \u201cMess It Up\u201d by Gracie Abrams<\/a>, whose father, J.J. Abrams, directed two films in the most recent \u201cStar Wars\u201d trilogy. But it wasn\u2019t Scanlon who came up with this subtle nod, which she reveals was flagged by observant fans on social media.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSomeone on TikTok or Instagram said, \u2018They better use a Gracie Abrams song.\u2019 And I was like, \u2018Why would they want to use a Gracie Abrams song?\u2019\u201d she says, laughing about her initial cluelessness.<\/p>\n

\n\tBelow, Scanlon breaks down the biggest nod to \u201cStar Wars\u201d in \u201cLove Hypothesis,\u201d and debunks some of the speculated references circulating online.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tLili Reinhart and Tom Bateman in \u201cThe Love Hypothesis<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u00a9Amazon\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

\t\tColor Schemes\t<\/p>\n

\n\tBateman\u2019s character, Adam, is a clear reference to Kylo Ren, as well as nods from his intimidating demeanor to his telling nickname, \u201cDr. Evil.\u201d Scanlon confirms that Adam also channels the character through his all-black wardrobe, which is mirrored by his minimally decorated office that features an almost entirely black color scheme.<\/p>\n

\n\tReinhart\u2019s character, Olive Smith, is primarily seen wearing her lab coat, but outside of the laboratory, she is dressed in red, blue and green outfits. Although these are all colors associated with different lightsabers, that choice was unintentional, Scanlon says. Some eagle-eyed fans also noted she frequently wears an all-red look, which is the color associated with Rey in \u201cThe Rise of Skywalker,\u201d though Scanlon says that was just a coincidence.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cLili just likes the color red,\u201d she says while laughing. \u201cThis is nuts. I got to tell Lili all these!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile this isn\u2019t a reference to Kylo Ren, Scanlon also points out that as Adam spends more time with Olive, his color palette begins to soften from black to navy blue. The texture of his clothes also evolves from cold, hard fabrics to cashmere and softer clothes, representing Olive\u2019s positive impact on him.<\/p>\n

\t\tUsing the Name \u201cAdam\u201d\t<\/p>\n

\n\tYes, Scanlon confirms the character Adam Carlsen is, in fact, named after Adam Driver, who originated the role of Kylo Ren. But the director also has a question for Hazelwood about some other characters. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI know Ali named Adam after Adam Driver, but did she name Tom Benton after Tom Bateman? The bad guy?\u201d she asks, laughing. \u201cWas she trying to push them apart? Was it just a coincidence? Or was she hating on Tom for being with Daisy and wanted Daisy and Adam Driver to be together?<\/p>\n

\t\t\u201cStar Wars\u201d Soundtrack\t<\/p>\n

\n\tSeveral moments throughout the film feature John Williams\u2019 \u201cStar Wars\u201d themes, further emphasizing the parallels. \u201cStar Wars\u201d composer John Williams\u2019 theme for Kylo Ren plays when Adam enters the coffee shop with Olive, causing the customers to freeze in fear.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe fallen Jedi\u2019s theme is used again near the end of the film when Adam goes to confront his colleague Tom. The director also points out that this scene was filmed from a low angle as Adam menacingly walks down an empty hallway, visually mirroring several shots of Kylo in the \u201cStar Wars\u201d films.<\/p>\n

\n\tViewers also pointed out that a sample of \u201cRey\u2019s Theme\u201d was used when Olive tells her friends details of her relationship with Adam after they find the couple in the coffee shop. Scanlon says she doesn\u2019t know if this was intentional, but it could\u2019ve been slipped in from the music team.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThis is fun,\u201d Scanlon says before breaking down the next reference. \u201cThis is like a game!\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tLili Reinhart in \u201cThe Love Hypothesis\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u00a9Amazon\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

\t\tOlive\u2019s Hairstyle\t<\/p>\n

\n\tOlive frequently wears her hair in a high bun, which Scanlon confirms is a nod to Rey\u2019s signature hairstyle of three buns on top of her head.<\/p>\n

\t\tAdam Carrying Olive\t<\/p>\n

\n\tOne of the moments when the dynamic between Kylo and Rey shifted in the \u201cStar Wars\u201d films came when Kylo carried an injured Rey onto his ship, hinting at his romantic feelings for her. A similar moment occurs in \u201cThe Love Hypothesis\u201d when Adam carries Olive after her feet begin to hurt following their sushi date.<\/p>\n

\n\tAlthough the scene mirrors the Kylo and Ren dynamic of alluding to the eventual shift in their relationship, Scanlon isn\u2019t certain that choice was intentional. As far as she knows, it wasn\u2019t a designated reference, but screenwriter Sarah Rothschild may have slyly incorporated the moment.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tTom Bateman and Lili Reinhart in \u201cThe Love Hypothesis\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u00a9Amazon\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

\t\tAdam\u2019s Speech About Being Evil\t<\/p>\n

\n\tDuring their date at the sushi restaurant, Adam opens up to Olive about how he never intended to be evil. He shared that his mentor was a sadist who had powerful friends in high places, very similar to Kylo Ren\u2019s corruption after being mentored by Supreme Leader Snoke. This scene was directly taken from the book, Scanlon says, so it was likely a reference created by Hazelwood. <\/p>\n

\n\tIn that same scene, Adam also jokingly calls Olive a rebel, which could be a nod to Rey\u2019s allegiance to the Resistance. Scanlon isn\u2019t certain if that\u2019s an intentional reference, noting this may also have been a choice by Rothschild.<\/p>\n

\n\tWatch \u201cThe Love Hypothesis\u201d trailer below.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cStar Wars\u201d has featured iconic locations throughout the franchise, taking audiences to Tatooine, Naboo and now, a campus…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":905943,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[64,63,473790,134,40473,344,31331,364476],"class_list":["post-905942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-claire-scanlon","tag-entertainment","tag-gracie-abrams","tag-movies","tag-star-wars","tag-the-love-hypothesis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=905942"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905942\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/905943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=905942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=905942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=905942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}