Anne Hathaway is set to headline the upcoming film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel Verity. Hathaway will portray the title character, Verity Crawford, a once-celebrated author who is left unable to complete her final thriller novel following a devastating car accident. In an effort to finish the series, Verity’s husband, Jeremy, hires a struggling writer, Lowen Ashleigh, with an offer of substantial financial compensation. However, as Lowen digs deeper into Verity’s manuscripts, she uncovers disturbing secrets about Verity’s past — forcing her to confront the possibility that Verity may be either a brilliant fiction writer or a dangerous psychopath. The roles of Jeremy and Lowen have yet to be cast.
Michael Showalter, who previously worked with Hathaway on the 2024 rom-com The Idea of You, will direct the film for Amazon MGM. The screenplay is written by Nick Antosca, following previous drafts by Hillary Seitz, Angela LaManna, and Will Honley & April Maguire. Showalter, Hathaway, and Hoover will produce the film under their respective banners, including Somewhere Pictures, Heartbones Entertainment, and Semi-Formal Productions. Additional producers include Antosca of Eat the Cat, Jordana Mollick of Semi-Formal, and Stacey Sher of Shiny Penny, with Lauren Levine of Heartbones serving as executive producer.
Originally self-published in 2018, Verity became an instant sensation, spending months on the New York Times best-seller list and surpassing 1 million copies sold in 2023 alone. The novel, described as a gothic, psychosexual thriller, draws comparisons to works like Rebecca and Gone Girl.
This film follows the massive success of It Ends With Us, another of Hoover’s best-sellers, which was adapted into a box office hit this summer. Directed by Justin Baldoni and starring Blake Lively, It Ends With Us grossed $349 million worldwide, far surpassing its $25 million budget. While Hoover’s sequel It Starts With Us won’t be adapted due to behind-the-scenes tensions between Lively and Baldoni, another of her novels, Reminders of Him, is currently in development at Universal Pictures.
Hathaway’s upcoming projects include Mother’s Instinct with Jessica Chastain, the melodrama Mother Mary directed by David Lowery, and the sci-fi film Flowervale Street. She is also set to reprise her iconic role as Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries 3. Hathaway, an Oscar-winning actress, is known for her work in The Devil Wears Prada, Les Misérables, Ella Enchanted, The Dark Knight Rises, and Ocean’s Eight.
Showalter, who is known for directing The Big Sick and The Eyes of Tammy Faye, has a diverse background in both comedy and drama. He is also the co-creator of Wet Hot American Summer and the HBO Max series Search Party.
The Verity adaptation falls under Semi-Formal Productions’ first-look deal with Amazon MGM and will be released theatrically.
