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Hathaway and Dakota Johnson descend into darkness in 'Verity'

Hathaway and Dakota Johnson descend into darkness in 'Verity'

The trailer for "Verity," adapted from Colleen Hoover's novel, shows Dakota Johnson as a ghostwriter who uncovers a disturbing manuscript by Verity Crawford…

--- The context --- Colleen Hoover's publishing phenomenon crosses to the big screen with a change of register: her universe of romantic tragedies now dives into the psychological thriller. --- The facts --- The trailer for "Verity," the film adaptation of her novel, follows Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson), a struggling writer who takes a job ghostwriting for best-selling author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway), unable to finish her latest novel after an accident that killed her daughters and left her in a coma. What looks like the opportunity of a lifetime twists when Lowen begins an affair with Josh (Josh Hartnett), Verity's husband, and discovers a seemingly autobiographical and decidedly disturbing manuscript by the writer. As fiction and reality converge and the tryst between Lowen and Josh intensifies, Lowen's grip on reality begins to slip. --- The positions --- For this film, Hathaway re-teams with Michael Showalter, her director on "Idea Of You," now at the helm of a psychological thriller. The script is by Nick Antosca, the writer behind true-crime television series such as "Candy," "The Act," and "A Friend of the Family." The film opens October 2, 2026. --- What remains unknown --- What remains to be seen is the critical reception, the opening box office, and the adaptation's faithfulness to the source material. --- Unanswered questions --- Can the film preserve the manuscript's mystery without revealing its hand too soon? Will Hoover's readers accept this turn toward domestic horror? Will Showalter confirm he can direct psychological tension as well as romantic comedy? --- EPM analysis --- The play is clear: move a massive readership into theaters with an adult genre product, a space where adaptations of female-driven best sellers tend to perform better than in conventional romantic drama. 📌 EPM Take: In EPM's view, "Verity" arrives at the right moment: adult audiences are hungry for thrillers with identity, and literary adaptations dominate the marquee. If Antosca's script keeps the manuscript's disturbing edge and Showalter controls the pacing, the film can become both a conversation piece and a box-office success. The risk lies in softening the material to make it palatable, because then it would lose exactly what makes it special.
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