Amazon Prime Video’s new romantic comedy The Love Hypothesis may look like a typical fake-dating story, but director Claire Scanlon says the film contains plenty of subtle connections to Star Wars.

The movie, which premiered on September 23, stars Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman as Olive Smith and Adam Carlsen, whose fake relationship gradually develops into something more. Behind the romantic comedy, however, is a story with surprisingly strong ties to a galaxy far, far away.

Ali Hazelwood’s 2021 novel The Love Hypothesis began as Star Wars fan fiction about Rey and Kylo Ren before being transformed into a standalone novel. While the most obvious franchise references were removed, several connections remain in the film adaptation.

Scanlon said she initially had no idea about the book’s fan-fiction origins or its popularity on BookTok. Producer Elizabeth Cantillon explained the story’s background to her, leaving the director amused by how unfamiliar she was with the online reading community.

Color Schemes

One of the clearest connections to Star Wars comes through Adam Carlsen, played by Bateman. The character draws inspiration from Kylo Ren through his intimidating personality, his nickname “Dr. Evil” and his predominantly black wardrobe.

Adam’s office also follows the same dark aesthetic, with an almost entirely black color scheme.

Olive, meanwhile, is usually seen wearing her lab coat while working, but outside the laboratory she appears in red, blue and green outfits. Fans have connected those colors to different lightsabers, although Scanlon says the choice was not intentional.

Some viewers also noticed that Olive frequently wears red, a color associated with Rey in The Rise of Skywalker. Again, Scanlon said this was simply a coincidence, explaining that Reinhart likes the color red.

Adam’s wardrobe does undergo an intentional transformation, however. As he becomes closer to Olive, his clothing shifts from black toward navy blue, while harder fabrics gradually give way to softer materials such as cashmere. The change reflects the positive influence Olive has on him.

Using the Name Adam

Even Adam’s name has a connection to the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

Scanlon confirmed that Hazelwood named Adam Carlsen after Adam Driver, the actor who portrayed Kylo Ren.

The director also jokingly questioned whether another character, Tom Benton, was named after Tom Bateman himself, wondering if Hazelwood was deliberately creating another connection between the actor and the story.

Scanlon admitted she would like to ask Hazelwood whether the name was intentional or simply a coincidence.

Star Wars Soundtrack

Music provides some of the film’s most noticeable Star Wars references.

Several scenes feature themes from John Williams’ Star Wars score. Kylo Ren’s theme plays when Adam enters a coffee shop with Olive, causing the customers to react to his intimidating presence.

The same theme returns near the end of the movie when Adam confronts his colleague Tom. The scene was also filmed from a low angle as Adam walks down an empty hallway, creating a visual similarity to Kylo Ren’s scenes in the Star Wars films.

Fans have also noticed what appears to be a sample of Rey’s Theme during a scene in which Olive tells her friends about her relationship with Adam after they discover the couple together.

Scanlon said she was unsure whether that particular musical choice was intentional, suggesting it may have been added by the film’s music team.

Olive’s Hairstyle

Olive’s appearance also contains a subtle connection to Rey.

Throughout the movie, she frequently wears her hair in a high bun. Scanlon confirmed that the hairstyle was inspired by Rey’s recognizable look, although Olive’s version is adapted for the character’s modern setting.

It is one of the smaller references in the film, but fans familiar with the Star Wars sequel trilogy may recognize the similarity.

Adam Carrying Olive

Another possible connection appears when Adam carries Olive after her feet begin hurting following their sushi date.

The moment recalls a scene from Star Wars in which Kylo Ren carries an injured Rey onto his ship, a moment that also hinted at the changing relationship between the two characters.

Scanlon said she was not certain whether the parallel was deliberately created as a Star Wars reference. As far as she knew, it was not specifically designated as one, although screenwriter Sarah Rothschild may have incorporated the idea.

Adam’s Speech About Being Evil

During their sushi date, Adam opens up about his past and tells Olive that he never intended to become evil. He describes having a mentor who was a sadist with powerful connections, creating another parallel with Kylo Ren and his relationship with Supreme Leader Snoke.

According to Scanlon, this part of Adam’s story came directly from Hazelwood’s novel, making it likely that the connection originated with the author.

During the same conversation, Adam jokingly refers to Olive as a rebel. That could be interpreted as another nod to Rey and her allegiance to the Resistance, although Scanlon said she could not confirm whether the line was intentionally written as a Star Wars reference.

With its fake-dating romance and hidden connections to the franchise that inspired its original story, The Love Hypothesis gives Star Wars fans plenty of details to look out for.

Watch “The Love Hypothesis” trailer below.