Anne Hathaway’s New Colleen Hoover Adaptation Gets First Reaction From Bestselling Author

Directed by Michael Showalter, the upcoming film is the latest adaptation of Hoover’s work after films like It Ends With Us (2024) and Regretting You (2025). Set to arrive later this year after Reminders of Him, Verity features a stacked cast that includes Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett.

Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Hoover now reveals that she has seen an early cut of Verity, and it’s one she’s excited for audiences to get their hands on. “This is going to be a big year,” she says. “We’ve got Reminders of Him on the 13th and then I’ve got Verity coming out in October. I’m so, so thrilled for readers to see that one.”

When asked if people will be surprised by the upcoming adaptation, Hoover offers a coy, “Yeah.” Exactly what surprises are in store for audiences remains a mystery, but there evidently could be changes from the source material.

Hoover’s book follows Lowen Ashleigh, a writer hired to ghostwrite novels for author Verity Crawford, who is left unable to write after an accident. While residing with Verity and her husband, Jeremy, Lowen uncovers dark truths about her hosts.

Johnson will be playing Lowen in the upcoming adaptation, with Hathaway playing Verity. Hartnett takes on the role of Jeremy in the film, with Asel Swango, Daniel Echevarria, Ismael Cruz Cordova, and Michael Abbott Jr., among others, rounding out the rest of the cast.

Though it remains to be seen how Reminders of Him fares in theaters, Verity comes after a strong run for Hoover adaptations. It Ends With Us reviews were mixed from critics, but the film was a massive success at the box office, grossing $351 million worldwide. The behind-the-scenes controversy involvings stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni also contributed to the film’s success.

Regretting You fared worse with critics and didn’t replicate It Ends With Us‘ success, but it was still a hit in its own right. The film ended its run at over $90 million worldwide, a strong result given its $30 million budget.

With Hathaway and Johnson leading the cast, Verity is very likely to outperform Regretting You. It’s not clear if it will match It Ends With Us commercially, but Hoover’s name clearly remains a draw by itself.

What’s more, Verity seems to have tone and genre elements in common with The Housemaid (2025), an adaptation of Freida McFadden’s 2022 novel of the same name. This film, which released in theaters in December and stars Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, ended up grossing $388 million worldwide, exceeding expectations.

If Verity can capture what made films like It Ends With Us and The Housemaid so popular, it could be poised to be a strong performer later this year. While many questions remain about excatly how it will adapt Hoover’s book, the author’s latest comments are sure to add to the anticipation.