The Love Hypothesis (2026): Cast, Story and Release Details

Prepared by Movies Dock Editorial

The Love Hypothesis follows biology PhD candidate Olive Smith and professor Dr. Adam Carlsen after they agree to a pretend relationship. As their carefully managed arrangement develops, the romantic comedy places their ideas about love under unexpected pressure, led by Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman.

The Love Hypothesis is a romantic comedy about a biology PhD candidate and a professor whose practical arrangement begins to complicate their understanding of love. The film stars Lili Reinhart as Olive Smith and Tom Bateman as Dr. Adam Carlsen.

Directed by Claire Scanlon and written by Sarah Rothschild, the 2026 film is based on a novel or book. Its story centers on the familiar rom-com setup of a fake relationship, with the characters’ calculated expectations facing an uncertain emotional outcome.

The Love Hypothesis movie details

Story without spoilers

Olive Smith is a biology PhD candidate who enters a fake relationship with Dr. Adam Carlsen, a prominent professor known for being difficult. What begins as a carefully arranged pretence puts both characters’ theories about love under pressure.

The premise combines academic surroundings with a relationship neither Olive nor Adam initially treats as straightforward. The film’s central tension comes from the gap between the rules of their arrangement and the emotions that may emerge from it, without revealing how that situation develops.

What to expect

The film is positioned as a romance and comedy built around a pretend relationship. Viewers can expect the story to focus on the contrast between Olive’s scientific outlook, Adam’s reputation as a demanding professor and the complications created when a calculated arrangement becomes less predictable.

Its “based on novel or book” classification places the familiar fake-dating premise within an established literary adaptation framework. The supplied details identify the film as an English-language production from the United States of America, with a runtime of 1 hour and 50 minutes.

Cast and creative team

Lili Reinhart plays Olive Smith, while Tom Bateman portrays Dr. Adam Carlsen. The supporting cast includes Rachel Marsh as Anh Pham, Jaboukie Young-White as Malcolm Browne, Nicholas Duvernay as Jeremy Langley, Arty Froushan as Dr. Tom Benton, Jeananne Goossen as Dr. Juliet Aslan, Aladeen Tawfeek as Dr. Eugene Fastuca, Kenny Wong as McConnell and Daniel Brochu as Dr. Hargrave.

Claire Scanlon directs the film, and Sarah Rothschild is credited as its writer.

• Lili Reinhart as Olive Smith
• Tom Bateman as Dr. Adam Carlsen
• Rachel Marsh as Anh Pham
• Jaboukie Young-White as Malcolm Browne
• Nicholas Duvernay as Jeremy Langley
• Arty Froushan as Dr. Tom Benton
• Jeananne Goossen as Dr. Juliet Aslan
• Aladeen Tawfeek as Dr. Eugene Fastuca
• Kenny Wong as McConnell
• Daniel Brochu as Dr. Hargrave

Release and production context

The Love Hypothesis is listed as a 2026 release with a release date of September 23, 2026. It has a runtime of 1 hour and 50 minutes and is classified as a romantic comedy. The film is from the United States of America and is in English.

Its listed production companies are MRC, Amazon MGM Studios, Small Victory Productions, The Cantillon Company and Bisous Pictures. The supplied metadata lists the film’s status as Released.

Production companies: MRC, Amazon MGM Studios, Small Victory Productions, The Cantillon Company, Bisous Pictures

The Love Hypothesis official trailer

Watch the official trailer on YouTube

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With its academic setting, fake-relationship premise and two leads whose ideas about love are challenged by circumstance, The Love Hypothesis is structured around a clear romantic-comedy conflict. The cast, literary source basis and 2026 release details provide the main context for this adaptation without giving away its development.

Film data:
TMDB · IMDb