EXCLUSIVE: Following the success of The Idea of You on Amazon, Anne Hathaway and director Michael Showalter have found their next major project. Hathaway is set to star in Verity, an upcoming film from Amazon MGM Studios, which Showalter will direct. The movie is based on Colleen Hoover’s No. 1 New York Times bestseller, with a script written by Nick Antosca. Previous drafts were written by Hillary Seitz, Angela LaManna, and Will Honley & April Maguire. Sources indicate the film will be released in theaters.
Producers for Verity include Antosca and Alex Hedlund of Eat the Cat, Showalter and Jordana Mollick of Semi-Formal Productions, Hathaway through Somewhere Pictures, Hoover through Heartbones Entertainment, and Stacey Sher of Shiny Penny. Lauren Levine from Heartbones will executive produce. The project falls under Semi-Formal Productions' first-look film deal with Amazon MGM Studios.
The story follows Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer on the verge of financial collapse, who accepts a life-changing job offer. Jeremy Crawford, the husband of bestselling thriller author Verity Crawford (played by Hathaway), hires Ashleigh to finish the remaining books in a successful series his wife can no longer complete after a mysterious accident. Upon arriving at the opulent Crawford estate, Ashleigh discovers a secret manuscript that may reveal disturbing details about the family's past. As Ashleigh becomes closer to Jeremy and his son, Crew, she must determine whether Verity’s writings are chilling confessions or the warped fantasies of a disturbed mind.
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Originally self-published in 2018, Verity became a phenomenon and was acquired by Grand Central Publishing in 2021. The book has spent months on the bestseller lists, selling over 1 million copies in 2023 alone. A gothic, psychosexual thriller akin to Rebecca and Gone Girl, Verity has captivated readers worldwide.
Colleen Hoover has been on a roll recently, with her other No. 1 bestseller, It Ends With Us, starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, grossing $346 million worldwide after its theatrical release in August. Following the success of that film, Amazon MGM Studios quickly moved to adapt Verity for the big screen.
This film reunites Showalter, Hathaway, and Amazon MGM Studios after the success of the romantic comedy The Idea of You, which attracted nearly 50 million global viewers within its first two weeks on Prime Video, making it Amazon MGM Studios’ most successful romantic-comedy debut. Showalter and Amazon MGM have also teamed up again for the upcoming holiday comedy Oh. What. Fun., starring Michelle Pfeiffer.
Hathaway, an Oscar-winning actress, was most recently seen alongside Jessica Chastain in Mother’s Instinct. Other recent projects include She Came to Me, Armageddon Time, and an adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh's Eileen. She will next appear in Mother Mary, directed by David Lowery, and has wrapped production on Flowervale Street, which will be released in May 2025. Hathaway is also set to reprise her role as Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries 3. She is represented by CAA, Entertainment 360, and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.
Showalter, an Emmy-nominated director, is known for his work on Spoiler Alert (starring Sally Field and Jim Parsons), The Eyes of Tammy Faye (which earned Jessica Chastain an Oscar for Best Actress), and The Big Sick (which earned an Oscar nomination for its screenplay). His other credits include Hello, My Name Is Doris and The Lovebirds. Showalter is represented by UTA, Artists First, and Goodman Genow.
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