Are August Moon based on One Direction? How Harry Styles is connected to The Idea of You

6 March 2024, 13:02

Watch The Idea of You trailer

By Sam Prance

Fans are losing it over the similarities between Hayes in The Idea of You and Harry Styles.

A new boy band has just entered the chat. August Moon from The Idea of You are here but are they based on One Direction?

Ever since Deadline announced that Prime Video would be adapting Robinne Lee’s novel The Idea of You into a movie, fans have been desperate the see it. The book tells the story of a 40-year-old divorcée named Sophie (Anne Hathaway) who has a whirlwind romance with Hayes (Nicholas Galitzine), the 24-year-old star of the world's biggest boy band, August Moon.

Now, Prime Video have released official August Moon press photos, uploaded their debut single 'Dance Before We Walk' to streaming platforms and set up official social media pages for the band.

Fans are now losing it over how similar the group are to One Direction, and how much Hayes is reminiscent of Harry Styles. Is it on purpose though, and is the movie One Direction fanfiction?

READ MORE: Harry Styles says he would 'never say never' to a One Direction reunion

On March 5th, ahead of the first The Idea of You trailer, August Moon Instagram and TikTok accounts went live with photos of the boyband.

Red, White & Royal Blue star Nicholas Galitzine plays lead singer Hayes Campbell, with Jaiden Anthony, Raymond Cham Jr, Victor White and Dakota Adan playing his bandmates Adrian, Oliver, Simon and Rory.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by august moon (@augustmoon)

Not only do the photos bare a striking resemblance to multiple iconic One Direction shoots but it has now also been confirmed that Savan Kotecha has written August Moon's music for the movie including their first single 'Dance Before We Walk' which is out now.

Savan famously co-wrote many iconic One Direction songs such as 'What Makes You Beautiful', 'Kiss You' and 'One Thing'.

Dance Before We Walk (From “The Idea of You”)

Reacting to the photos on X, one fan tweeted: "they’re not even trying to hide the fact it’s inspired by one direction i can’t breathe."

Another wrote: "harry call your lawyer quickly."

Is The Idea of You based on Harry Styles?

Yes! The Idea of You author Robinne Lee previously told blogger Deborah Kalb that she was inspired to write the book after stumbling across videos of both Harry and One Direction online. She said: "I was up late surfing music videos on YouTube when I came across the face of a boy I'd never seen in a band I'd never paid attention to."

Discussing Harry specifically, Robinne then explained: "His face was so aesthetically perfect it took me by surprise. It was like art. I spent a good hour or so Googling and trying to figure out who this kid was and in doing so I discovered that he often dated older women, and so the seed was planted."

While the book was partly inspired by Harry, all of the characters are fictional and none of it actually happened. Harry has never publicly commented on the book or film.

Nevertheless, it's very clear from August Moon promo photos that One Direction are a key inspiration behind the band's aesthetic and vibe in the movie.

What do you think? Are you a Moonhead?

Read more One Direction news here:

• Liam Payne asks One Direction fans to forgive him
• Louis Tomlinson calls out new One Direction fanfiction movies
• Zayn just sang One Direction's Night Changes and fans are in an absolute shambles
• Niall Horan went to see Harry Styles on tour in London and I’m crying
• Harry Styles addresses theories that he’s gone bald and wears a wig

WATCH: Dakota Johnson takes on a chaotic mystery interview

Dakota Johnson Takes On A Chaotic Mystery Interview | Madame Web | PopBuzz Meets