Michael Schowalter‘s next pic with Anne Hathaway at Amazon MGM just got a couple of notable cast additions. Deadline reports that Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett will also star in “Verity,” a gothic literary thriller based on Colleen Hoover‘s bestselling 2018 novel of the same name. Nick Antosca currently adapts Hoover’s novel for the big screen.
READ MORE: ‘Verity’: Anne Hathaway Reteaming With Michael Showalter On A Colleen Hoover Adaptation
Johnson will star in “Verity” as Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer who accepts the job offer of a lifetime: to complete the remaining books in a thriller series by bestselling author Verity Crawford (Hathaway), who’s unable to complete her books after a mysterious accident. Verity’s husband Jeremy (Harnett) invites Lowen to his estate to finish his wife’s work, but Lowen gradually realizes something more sinister is happening.
Hoover self-published her novel in 2018, but Grand Central Publishing acquired it in 2021 after it gained popularity. Since then, it’s spent months on various bestsellers list, selling more than one million copies last year alone. What’s more, Hoover already has Hollywood street cred: her other bestseller, “It Ends With Us,” took in $346 million at the box office so summer, so Amazon MGM expects “Verity” to be a big hit.
Antosca and Alex Hedlund produce “Verity” via their Eat The Cat banner, along with Showalter and Jordana Mollick through his Semi-Formal Productions. Other producers include Hathaway through her Somewhere Pictures, Hoover through Heartbones Entertainment, and Stacey Sher via Shiny Penny. Johnson seves as an executive producer with Heartbones’ Lauren Levine. “Verity” is part of Semi-Formal Productions’ first-look film deal with Amazon MGM.
Johnson’s recent work includes “Daddio” and “Madame Web.” Up next for the actress? Celine Song‘s “Materialists,” and “Splitsville,” both hitting theaters next year.
As for Hartnett, he starred in M. Night Shymalan‘s most recent thriller “Trap” this past summer, along with a supporting role in “Oppenheimer” in Summer 2023. His next film is “Fight Or Flight,” out sometime in 2025.
Amazon MGM has “Verity” slated for a theatrical release, so expect it in theaters in 2026.
