Tom Bateman Has Some Ideas for Fanfiction

POV: You’re on a date with a moody, hardworking professor. He’s not the most outgoing, but he’s got a furrowed brow over his eyes that you just know are hiding some sexy secrets. “Dr. Evil” is what they call him, but after a few minutes, you realize he’s actually a highly sought after scientist and not so unfriendly after all. If that sort of tall, dark, handsome, and most importantly brooding kind of guy sounds like your type, then you must be one of those fans of The Love Hypothesis that actor Tom Bateman has heard so much about. He isn’t nervous about playing a character beloved by so many, though. Instead, he’s reassured by the built-in fanbase of the film adapted from Ali Hazelwood’s best-selling spicy fiction book, and it looks like the fandom loves him back: the sequel, The Two-Body Problem, was already greenlit by Amazon MGM.

“We knew there were people out there excited for what we were about to do, and that’s very rare in this world,” says Bateman. “I thought, My God, I can’t believe how exciting this is, even before we filmed the first scene on the first day.” In the film, he plays the strict professor Adam Carlsen, aka Dr. Evil. It’s a classic enemies-to-lovers trope, and his polar opposite is a third-year PhD candidate Olive Smith (played by Lili Reinhart). You could say this part was fate for Bateman: The book is adapted from a Star Wars fan fiction focusing on characters Kylo Ren and Rey Skywalker, the latter of which is played by Daisy Ridley, Bateman’s real life wife. If he had to take a spin with writing fan fic himself, he’d opt for something a little more nautical: “Maybe I’m saying this because I’m a Pisces, but mermaids,” the actor says with a laugh.

While the 37-year-old actor may be better known for his work on dramas and suspenseful thrillers, like Nia DaCosta’s Heddaand the Netflix series Behind Her Eyes,this pivot to a lighthearted rom-com might feel unexpected. But it’s clear that when Bateman enters the room for a sushi lunch date with The Cut on a surprisingly brisk September afternoon, he’s a romantic at heart.

Tom Bateman Has Some Ideas for Fanfiction