Hayley Kiyoko to make directorial debut with ‘Girls Like Girls’ film

Hayley Kiyoko is set to make her Hollywood debut with the film Girls Like Girls, in which she will serve as director and co-writer.

• Read More: Five things we learned from our In Conversation video chat with Hayley Kiyoko

Deadline reported yesterday (December 4) that the pop star will cross over to film with the project, which is based on both her hit 2015 single and 2023 novel of the same name. The film’s script is co-written by Kiyoko and Stefanie Scott, who starred in the song’s music video.

On the book, Kiyoko previously said that Girls Like Girls is “a love letter to anyone who doesn’t believe they are worthy of being loved back or that they can have a happy ending.”

Girls Like Girls will be backed by Focus Features and Wicked producer Marc Platt. In a statement shared on Instagram, Kiyoko said she has “dreamt of this moment for 9 years”.

She revealed how the “past almost decade” has seen her shift and evolve her priorities, and that the development of the Girls Like Girls film involved an “immense struggle”.

“Since I released ‘Girls Like Girls’ in 2015, I’ve made a vow to myself and to you all to do everything in my power to create hopeful queer content at the largest scale possible,” she wrote. “The road map has never been clear, I’ve just kept believing that if I kept trying, that one day a road could be paved. We made it. It’s here.”

“From a song, to a music video, to a book, to a feature film. WE DID IT,” she continued.

“We will continue to create space and ignite hope. Thank you to every collaborator and friend who has helped me in anyway from the inception of this music video and beyond.”

“Thank you kiyokians from the bottom of my heart. For showing up for me, reminding me I’m not alone. I’m so overwhelmed I finally get to share this news with you and make this film come to life.”

Kiyoko is also set to publish her second novel Where There’s Room For Us in 2025. Her latest album ‘Panorama’ was released in 2022 – the following year saw her issue two singles, ‘Greenlight’ and ‘somewhere between the sand and the stardust’.