# After (film series)
**After** is an American romantic drama film series adapted from the After novels by [Anna Todd](https://www.edgepedia.org/anna-todd), telling the story of the turbulent relationship between college students Tessa Young and Hardin Scott. Five films were released between 2019 and 2023: *After* (2019), *After We Collided* (2020), *After We Fell* (2021), *After Ever Happy* (2022), and *After Everything* (2023).[1](https://swoony.ai/blog/after-series-books-in-order) The franchise began as [Harry Styles](https://www.edgepedia.org/harry-styles)-inspired fan fiction posted on Wattpad in 2013, at the height of [One Direction](https://www.edgepedia.org/one-direction)'s fame, before being rewritten for print with the male lead renamed Hardin.[2](https://digilib.uinsgd.ac.id/61910/4/4_bab1.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Films | Five: *After* (2019), *After We Collided* (2020), *After We Fell* (2021), *After Ever Happy* (2022), *After Everything* (2023)[1](https://swoony.ai/blog/after-series-books-in-order) |
| Source | Anna Todd's After novels, which began as Wattpad fan fiction about Harry Styles in 2013[2](https://digilib.uinsgd.ac.id/61910/4/4_bab1.pdf) |
| Characters | Tessa Young, an innocent young woman, and Hardin Scott, the "bad boy" college student with whom she becomes involved[3](https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/family-resources-education/700childrens/2019/05/after-the-movie) |
| First film performance | $12.1 million domestic and $57.9 million worldwide, with an 18% critics score and 64% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes[4](https://after.fandom.com/wiki/After_%28film_series%29) • [5](https://boxofficewatch.com/movies/after) |
| Original installment | *After Everything* is the only film not drawn from one of the novels; it was written as an original story by director Castille Landon[1](https://swoony.ai/blog/after-series-books-in-order) |
| Ratings shift | The series moved from PG-13 on the first film to an R rating beginning with *After We Collided*[6](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/after-we-collided-movie-review-2020) |
## Origins in fan fiction
The story began on the self-publishing platform Wattpad in 2013, where Anna Todd wrote serialized fan fiction about Harry Styles of One Direction.[2](https://digilib.uinsgd.ac.id/61910/4/4_bab1.pdf) Todd's stories, which also include *The Spring Girls* and *The Brightest Stars*, have been read 1.5 billion times on the platform.[7](https://www.fox5ny.com/news/after-compared-to-twilight-50-shades-of-grey) In the fall of 2013, Wattpad employees approached Todd to represent her in selling the story's rights, and she toured New York publishing houses with them acting as her agent.[8](https://sites.duke.edu/unsuitable/anna-todds-after-series/)
The print edition of *After* was published by [Simon & Schuster](https://www.edgepedia.org/simon-and-schuster) in 2014, marked as "New Adult" romance and aimed at college-age readers because of the explicit sex scenes, though teens embraced the story as well.[2](https://digilib.uinsgd.ac.id/61910/4/4_bab1.pdf) • [8](https://sites.duke.edu/unsuitable/anna-todds-after-series/) The book has been released in over thirty-five languages with over twelve million copies sold worldwide.[2](https://digilib.uinsgd.ac.id/61910/4/4_bab1.pdf) The series now comprises five novels, *After*, *After We Collided*, *After We Fell*, *After Ever Happy*, and *Before*, plus two related Landon Series books, *Nothing More* and *Nothing Less*.[9](https://www.visualhollywood.com/after-2019-production-notes)
Film rights followed quickly. Todd secured a deal with [United Talent Agency](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-talent-agency) to represent film and television rights, and [Paramount Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount-pictures) acquired those rights five months later.[8](https://sites.duke.edu/unsuitable/anna-todds-after-series/) The eventual first film was presented by Aviron Pictures in association with Voltage Pictures, CalMaple Media, and Diamond Film Productions, with Wattpad among the production companies.[9](https://www.visualhollywood.com/after-2019-production-notes)
## The five films
**After (2019).** The first film opened in theaters on April 12, 2019.[10](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2030536193/weekend/) Todd was deeply involved: she was a producer, was on set every day, participated in casting, and wrote parts of the screenplay herself.[11](https://www.prorom.com/en/news/exclusive-interview-with-anna-todd-if-you-like-to-be-entertained-go-see-after) She chose the actor [Hero Fiennes Tiffin](https://www.edgepedia.org/hero-fiennes-tiffin), nephew of [Ralph Fiennes](https://www.edgepedia.org/ralph-fiennes) and [Joseph Fiennes](https://www.edgepedia.org/joseph-fiennes), for Hardin after meeting him in person and insisted he be hired.[11](https://www.prorom.com/en/news/exclusive-interview-with-anna-todd-if-you-like-to-be-entertained-go-see-after) The director, Jenny Gage, wanted the film to show a female perspective on a coming-of-age love story.[4](https://after.fandom.com/wiki/After_%28film_series%29)
**After We Collided (2020).** The sequel was directed by Roger Kumble, who had previously made *Cruel Intentions* (1999).[6](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/after-we-collided-movie-review-2020) The film attempted to shed the first movie's PG-13 origins by moving into R-rated territory; production ended on January 28, 2020.[6](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/after-we-collided-movie-review-2020) • [4](https://after.fandom.com/wiki/After_%28film_series%29) Dylan Sprouse was cast as Trevor Matthews, a co-worker of Tessa's who harbors feelings for her.[4](https://after.fandom.com/wiki/After_%28film_series%29)
**After We Fell and After Ever Happy (2021, 2022).** From *After We Fell* onward the series stayed at an R rating, with Castille Landon taking over as director.[12](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/after-we-fell/critic-reviews/)
**After Everything (2023).** Announced on August 24, 2022, the fifth film premiered on September 13, 2023.[4](https://after.fandom.com/wiki/After_%28film_series%29) Unlike the other four, it was not an adaptation; Landon wrote it as an original story using Todd's characters.[1](https://swoony.ai/blog/after-series-books-in-order) • [13](https://sagalist.com/after) Lists routinely say the series has four films because *After Ever Happy* looks like an ending and the fifth arrived a year later with a very similar name.[13](https://sagalist.com/after)
## Critical reception
Critical reception has been largely negative while audiences have been far warmer. The first film's 18% critics score against a 64% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes illustrates the gap.[5](https://boxofficewatch.com/movies/after) Reviewers of *After* called its performances "consistently monotone" and its dialogue "alternately treacly";[14](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/after-2019/critic-reviews/) a review of *After We Collided* mocked the script's profanity and its lackluster sex scenes.[6](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/after-we-collided-movie-review-2020)
## Relationship to Fifty Shades and Twilight
The series is routinely compared to *Fifty Shades of Grey* and *Twilight*, and the comparison is structural: all three began as fan fiction. *[Fifty Shades](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifty-shades-novel-series)* started on Fanfiction.net in 2011 as Twilight fan fiction, while *After* began on Wattpad as One Direction fan fiction, and both went through the same transformation from self-published fan fiction to print and film.[8](https://sites.duke.edu/unsuitable/anna-todds-after-series/) • [2](https://digilib.uinsgd.ac.id/61910/4/4_bab1.pdf) The Guardian noted that *After We Collided* succeeded despite minimal critical attention, and that the little criticism it did receive was almost uniformly negative, with unflattering comparisons to both predecessors.[15](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/sep/18/after-we-collided-ya-romance-cinemas-future)
The relationship material itself has drawn scrutiny. Commentary on the novels argues that by treating Hardin as a hero and the relationship as an epic love story, the series validates disrespectful behavior and paints his volatility as a sign of overwhelming love.[8](https://sites.duke.edu/unsuitable/anna-todds-after-series/) Nationwide Children's Hospital used the first film as a teaching opportunity about boundaries and manipulation in teenage relationships, noting that the character reimagines Harry Styles as a "bad boy" college student.[3](https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/family-resources-education/700childrens/2019/05/after-the-movie) A scholarly study of the five books and their adaptations notes that the original text contains notable scenes of abuse and violence toward various characters.[16](https://dspace.umh.es/handle/11000/37261?locale=en)
## Literary context
A 2025 academic article reads *After* as an adaptation of [Emily Brontë](https://www.edgepedia.org/emily-bronte)'s *Wuthering Heights*, arguing that Todd's work reifies Brontë's nineteenth-century novel for a new generation through a medium specific to the twenty-first century: internet-based fanfiction feeding film adaptation.[17](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14748932.2025.2568868) Todd herself cites *Pride and Prejudice*, *Wuthering Heights*, and Hemingway among the books' inspirations, along with teen films such as *10 Things I Hate About You* and *She's All That*.[11](https://www.prorom.com/en/news/exclusive-interview-with-anna-todd-if-you-like-to-be-entertained-go-see-after)
The franchise has also extended beyond live action: in 2021 Wattpad partnered with Todd to adapt the five romances as graphic novels, with Spain's Pablo Andrés assigned to the artwork.[18](https://publishingperspectives.com/2021/08/anna-todd-partners-with-canadas-wattpad-on-after-graphic-novels/)
## References
1. [After Series in Order: All 7 Books and 5 Movies, Swoony](https://swoony.ai/blog/after-series-books-in-order)
2. [Anna Todd's "After" series biography excerpt, Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Gunung Djati repository](https://digilib.uinsgd.ac.id/61910/4/4_bab1.pdf)
3. ["After" the Movie: Teaching Teens About Boundaries and Manipulation in Relationships, Nationwide Children's Hospital](https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/family-resources-education/700childrens/2019/05/after-the-movie)
4. [After (film series), After Wiki, Fandom](https://after.fandom.com/wiki/After_%28film_series%29)
5. [After Box Office: $12.1M Domestic, $57.9M Worldwide (2019), BoxOfficeWatch](https://boxofficewatch.com/movies/after)
6. [After We Collided movie review, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/after-we-collided-movie-review-2020)
7. ['After' compared to 'Twilight,' '50 Shades of Grey', FOX 5 New York](https://www.fox5ny.com/news/after-compared-to-twilight-50-shades-of-grey)
8. [Anna Todd's "After" Series, UNSUITABLE (Duke University)](https://sites.duke.edu/unsuitable/anna-todds-after-series/)
9. [AFTER (2019) Production Notes, Visual Hollywood](https://www.visualhollywood.com/after-2019-production-notes)
10. [After, Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2030536193/weekend/)
11. [Exclusive interview with Anna Todd, Prorom](https://www.prorom.com/en/news/exclusive-interview-with-anna-todd-if-you-like-to-be-entertained-go-see-after)
12. [After We Fell critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/after-we-fell/critic-reviews/)
13. [After, SagaList](https://sagalist.com/after)
14. [After critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/after-2019/critic-reviews/)
15. [After We Collided: does this shock hit point the way to cinema's future?, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/sep/18/after-we-collided-ya-romance-cinemas-future)
16. [UMH: Repositorio RediUMH, thesis on the After series](https://dspace.umh.es/handle/11000/37261?locale=en)
17. [Heathcliff, Harry and Hardin: After as a New Layer to Wuthering Heights, Taylor & Francis](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14748932.2025.2568868)
18. [Canada's Wattpad Partners With Anna Todd on 'After' Graphic Novels, Publishing Perspectives](https://publishingperspectives.com/2021/08/anna-todd-partners-with-canadas-wattpad-on-after-graphic-novels/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Teen and comedy series film entries › Entries released in the 2020s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license