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'Verity' stars Josh Hartnett and Anne Hathaway "always wanted to work" together

By Sophia Soto | Last updated May 10, 2025 3:10 PM ET

While promoting Fight or Flight, Josh Hartnett opened up in a recent interview with Lauren Veneziani about Verity. The upcoming Colleen Hoover adaptation will be directed by Michael Showalter and also stars Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson.

He shares that he has "met Anne quite a few times over the years and always wanted to work with her, and she said she always wanted to work with me."

"So when this came along and there was a chance we could do it together — and [Anne] was producing so she had the ultimate choice, along with [director] Michael Showalter — they decided to cast me," the actor continued to explain. "It was just an awesome opportunity to work with her and Michael."

Hathaway and Showalter previously worked together on 2024's The Idea of You, which is streaming on Prime Video.

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As for Johnson, Hartnett did not know her prior to the project, but "she's excellent in the role and a really nice person, and I feel like the whole thing came together magically — really good cast."

Struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh is hired as a ghostwriter for renowned author Verity Crawford under mysterious circumstances, but her assignment takes a dark turn after discovering chilling autobiographical notes. Faced with a series of deadly family secrets, Lowen struggles to separate fiction from reality, while also blurring the lines with Verity’s husband, Jeremy.

"I don't think people know what to expect from it and I like that, because it's way different than the other Colleen Hoover books," he teased. "It's sexy, it's mysterious and it's a little bit gothic and a little bit scary, and it's wild. And I think it's gonna be surprising for audiences."

Verity is currently set to be released on May 15, 2026. Regretting You and Reminders of Him are also being adapted into films.

Sophia Soto

Sophia Soto is a writer and interviewer with a passion for all things entertainment. She is a Senior Reporter at The Nerds of Color and contributes to Yardbarker, Screensphere, Den of Geek, What to Watch, Nerdtropolis, and Temple of Geek. You can see her past work on Remezcla, Young Hollywood, Looper, Paste Magazine, Primetimer, Soundsphere, and Starry Constellation Magazine

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