Dakota Johnson, Josh Hartnett join Anne Hathaway in 'Verity'
Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett will star opposite Anne Hathaway in the upcoming romantic thriller Verity, based on Colleen Hoover's namesake novel, reported Deadline. Michael Showalter will direct the film. Johnson will play Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer hired by Jeremy Crawford (Hartnett) to finish his wife Verity Crawford's (Hathaway) best-selling book series after a mysterious accident leaves her unable to write.
'Verity' plot: Uncovering secrets and discerning truth
In Verity, Ashleigh discovers an unpublished manuscript that unveils disturbing family secrets while going through Verity's notes at the Crawford residence. As she becomes closer to Jeremy, she struggles to differentiate reality from fiction and considers using the manuscript to her benefit. The novel was originally self-published by Hoover in 2012 before being picked up by Grand Central Publishing in 2021.
'Verity' screenplay journey and production details
The screenplay for Verity has gone through multiple drafts, with Hoover writing one of them with Lauren Levine. Hillary Seitz, Angela LaManna, and Will Honley & April Maguire also worked on the script. Nick Antosca wrote the final version and will also be a producer under his Eat the Cat banner.
Johnson, Hathaway, and Showalter to produce 'Verity'
Along with acting, Johnson will also be an executive producer on Verity, with Hathaway, Showalter, and Hoover also on board as producers. Verity has been a massive success, spending months on the bestsellers list and selling over a million copies in 2023 alone. This film adaptation comes as another Hollywood project for Hoover after the financial success of It Ends With Us, which was one of the most profitable films of 2024.
