The Exchange has announced Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) as the romantic lead for the upcoming Dustin Lance Black (Milk) YA Adaptation, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. Based on the novel by Jennifer E. Smith, the story follows Hadley (Steinfeld), a teenage girl reluctantly about to board a plane to London for her father’s second wedding. Sparks fly when she meets a charming British boy. Black has signed on for triple duty with his first foray into the YA genre, acting as screenwriter, director, and executive producer.
On the other side of dystopian young adult successes such as The Hunger Games or Divergent, the YA drama genre has also had a relatively lucrative run recently with such films as The Fault in Our Stars and If I Stay. These films have proven to be tremendous career jumps for young actresses like Shailene Woodley (The Spectacular Now), and can presumably do the same for Steinfeld. She has already made one (not so successful) attempt at the romantic female lead in 2013’s Romeo & Juliet adaptation. But, with a script penned by Oscar-winner Black, Steinfeld could make a new name for herself. She has several high-profile projects all set for 2015, including a starring role in action comedy Barely Lethal, a supporting role in the much-anticipated Pitch Perfect 2, as well as an appearances in Ten Thousand Saints with Emile Hirsch, and Term Life with Vince Vaughn.