Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett have signed on to star opposite Anne Hathaway in the upcoming film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling book “Verity” from Amazon MGM Studios.
Johnson will play Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime — to complete the remaining books in a successful series by best-selling thriller author Verity Crawford (Hathaway). Hartnett plays Verity’s husband Jeremy, who hires Lowen after his wife is unable to finish the books after a mysterious accident.
“Upon arrival at the lavish Crawford estate, Lowen slowly learns that things are not exactly as they seem with the discovery of a secret, unfinished manuscript that may divulge chilling admissions about the family’s past,” the film’s logline details. “As Lowen ingratiates herself with Jeremy and his young son Crew, she must discern if Verity’s writings are merely lurid works of fiction or an ominous warning by a deranged psychopath.”
“Verity” was self-published in 2018 and became a literary sensation, spending months on the New York Times best-sellers list and selling more than 1 million copies in 2023 alone. The story is described as a “gothic, psychosexual thriller” in the vein of “Rebecca” and “Gone Girl.” The film adaptation follows hot on heels of “It Ends With Us,” the movie version of Hoover’s other No. 1 bestseller. That film, starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, was the sleeper hit of the summer, earning more than $346 million at the worldwide box office.
Michael Showalter is directing “Verity,” which will be released in theaters by Amazon MGM. The current script is written by Nick Antosca after previous versions by Hoover and Lauren Levine; Hillary Seitz; Angela LaManna; and Will Honley and April Maguire.
Hathaway, Hoover and Showalter will serve as producers under their respective banners of 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. Lauren Levine of Heartbones will executive produce. Johnson has also signed on to executive produce the film. “Verity” falls under Semi-Formal’s first-look film deal with Amazon MGM.
After breaking out in “The Social Network” and the “Fifty Shades of Grey” franchise, Johnson has showcased her range as an actor with films like “A Bigger Splash,” “Suspiria” and “The Peanut Butter Falcon” and her sensibilities as a producer with “Daddio,” “Cha Cha Real Smooth” and “Am I OK?” Johnson launched TeaTime Pictures with her producing partner Ro Donnelly in 2019. Next up, Johnson stars in two highly-anticipated films: Celine Song’s “Materialists” and Michael Angelo Covino’s “Splitsville”. She is represented by CAA and Untitled.
Hartnett, who enjoyed massive success in the ’90s and 2000s with starring roles in “The Faculty,” “Pearl Harbor,” “Black Hawk Down” and a dozen more top titles, has been enjoying a career renaissance as of late. In 2024, Hartnett appeared in Christopher Nolan’s best picture Oscar-winner “Oppenheimer,” guest starred on the hit FX series “The Bear” and starred in M. Night Shymalan’s summer thriller “Trap” in rapid succession. He next stars in the film “Fight or Flight,” which will be released in 2025. Hartnett is represented by Entertainment 360 and Verve.
Deadline was first to report news of Johnson and Hartnett’s casting.
