'It Ends with Us': Filming spots around the state, a NJ-born actor, and new release date

Although the story is set in Boston, "It Ends with Us," a film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's New York Times bestselling book, has numerous New Jersey connections including local filming locations and a locally born actor with a star role in the film.

New Jersey filming locations

Since they started filming in May 2023, the cast and crew has been spotted in various locations around New Jersey.

One place where many New Jerseyans spotted filming was in Jersey City where Blake Lively, who portrays the main character Lily Bloom, was recently seen with Justin Baldoni, playing Ryle Kincaid, as they resumed filming per People Magazine.

Some locals and New Jersey residents might have even scored a chance to appear in the movie after a Backstage casting call was released earlier this month in search of kids ages eight to 12 who "can portray children at a farmers market" in the Jersey City area on or around Jan. 9.

Back in May 2023, the cast and crew were spotted in Hoboken, where they were shooting along 10th and Bloomfield Streets.

More specifically, they took over the Hoboken art studio Field Colony for six weeks, transforming it into the "dusty" cafe for rent and then Lily Bloom's florist shop, according to Aaron Boucher, founder, resident artist and instructor at Field Colony.

"It was quite the experience, and I feel very fortunate to have been flexible and able to provide Field Colony as a space to do so," said Boucher. "Meeting Colleen Hoover on the last shooting day was unexpected and a pleasure."

Additionally, during the scene in the film that takes place in a cemetery, you will likely be seeing the Fair Mount Cemetery in Chatham where the cast and crew filmed some scenes in mid-May 2023.

Keep an eye out in and around your town as we wait to see where Lily and Ryle's romance may end up next in New Jersey.

The cast, including one NJ native

As previously mentioned, the main character Lily Bloom is being portrayed by Blake Lively, 36, most famously known for her role as Serena van der Woodsen on "Gossip Girl."

Ryle Kincaid is being played by Justin Baldoni, 39, most famously known for his role as Rafael Solano on "Jane the Virgin."

The role of Atlas is being played by Brandon Sklenar, 33, who was originally born in Dover. Sklenar is most well-known for his role as Spencer Dutton in "1923," the "Yellowstone" spin-off.

Allysa, Ryle's sister and Lily's best friend, is being played by Jenny Slate, 41, who is best known for her role of Mona-Lisa Saperstein on "Parks and Recreation."

New release date

"It Ends with Us" was originally scheduled to be released on Feb. 9, but recently received a new summer release date of June 21.

'It Ends with Us'

"It Ends with Us" is a novel by Colleen Hoover that was originally published in 2016, but gained a ton of traction during the pandemic when it blew up on social media.

The story follows a young woman named Lily Bloom as she moves to Boston from her hometown in Maine where she meets neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid.

She opens a florist shop and unknowingly hires Ryle's sister Allysa who quickly becomes her good friend.

Over time, Lily and Ryle's romance flourishes until things take a turn when the abusive side of him comes out, flashing her back to her youth watching her father abuse her mother.

Around the same time, she runs into Atlas, an old romance and friend from her hometown who re-enters her life as she deals with Ryle and experiences the cycle of domestic violence.

In an interview with Today, Hoover shared that she wrote the book based on her own experience with domestic abuse, thinking about her mother and father.

She shared that she would ask her mother all the time about how she was able to leave her abusive father and that conversation is what turned into the book which has sold millions of copies.

The book's sequel, "It Starts with Us" was released in October 2022 and has since sold thousands of copies.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: 'It Ends with Us' movie filming in various locations around NJ