When Colleen Hoover’s Verity first hit bookshelves, it quickly became one of the most disturbing and unsettling novels in her catalog. Fans couldn’t stop talking about its twisted layers, a story that blurred the line between fiction and reality, obsession and survival. For many, it was a psychological rollercoaster that lingered long after the final page. Now, Amazon MGM Studios is bringing that haunting tale to the big screen, and the casting alone is enough to make readers both nervous and excited.
Set to release on October 2, 2026, Verity follows struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh, who is hired under unusual circumstances to ghostwrite for the famous author Verity Crawford. What begins as a career-defining opportunity soon takes a horrifying turn when Lowen uncovers chilling autobiographical notes hidden in Verity’s home. The manuscript seems to reveal dark family secrets, secrets so twisted that Lowen struggles to discern whether they are truths, fabrications, or something in between.
Anne Hathaway steps into the role of Lowen, bringing her sharp emotional range and intensity to a character who is forced to confront both her ambition and her morality. Dakota Johnson joins as Verity Crawford, a role that demands both vulnerability and menace. The chemistry deepens further with Josh Hartnett as Jeremy, Verity’s husband, whose grief and attraction to Lowen complicate the story’s already dangerous spiral. Ismael Cruz Córdova and Brady Wagner round out the cast, ensuring the narrative feels rich, layered, and unpredictable.
Behind the camera, Michael Showalter directs, bringing his flair for balancing sharp character work with suspenseful pacing. The producing team includes Nick Antosca, Alex Hedlund, Stacey Sher, Jordana Mollick, and Anne Hathaway herself, alongside Colleen Hoover, who lends her voice to the adaptation of her own work. With names like these attached, the adaptation promises to keep the disturbing spirit of the book intact while elevating it with cinematic craft.
What makes Verity such a terrifyingly effective story is its refusal to give readers, or now viewers, the comfort of certainty. Just when you think you’ve grasped the truth, the narrative slips, reminding you that obsession, love, and manipulation often hide in the same shadows. That was the brilliance of Hoover’s novel, and it looks like the film will embrace that same pattern.
In a way, the casting of Hathaway and Johnson offers a strange kind of relief. Both actresses are known for their ability to dive into complex, psychologically demanding roles, and their presence ensures that Verity won’t just rely on its shocking twists. Instead, it will be a layered character study wrapped inside a suspense thriller. That combination is exactly why fans, even those who found the book too disturbing, can’t help but be intrigued.
As the release date approaches, the adaptation of Verity feels like one of the most daring projects in Amazon MGM Studios’ slate. It’s not just another book-to-film conversion; it’s a challenge to confront what happens when art crosses into obsession, and when storytelling itself becomes a weapon.
Verity premieres on October 2, 2026, and will stream until January 3, 2027. For those who devoured the book with equal parts fascination and unease, the movie promises a visual experience that will be just as haunting. Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett are set to breathe unsettling life into Hoover’s disturbing world, and for fans of psychological thrillers, this might just be the adaptation that lingers longest.
