Based on Colleen Hoover’s best-selling thriller, Verity promises mind games, secrets, and seduction—set to open the 2026 summer movie season with a bang.
Amazon MGM brought the heat to CinemaCon 2025 with the first teaser of Verity, a seductive and sinister adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling psychological thriller. Starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett, the film is set to hit theaters on May 15, 2026.
Described as a “gothic, psychosexual thriller,” Verity explores the blurred lines between fiction and reality. Hathaway plays Verity Crawford, a famous author left incapacitated after a devastating car crash. When her husband Jeremy (Hartnett) hires struggling writer Lowen (Johnson) to finish Verity’s unfinished book series, the young novelist uncovers a disturbing manuscript that suggests Verity may be more dangerous than anyone imagined.
“You’re the only writer who can do this,” Jeremy tells Lowen in the trailer.
Her response? A chilling, “It’s going to be the best one yet.”
🧠 Dark Secrets and Deceptive Desires
The teaser—shown exclusively to CinemaCon attendees—cuts between Verity and Jeremy’s seductive first meeting and their present-day existence inside a shadowy, isolated mansion. As Verity lies bedridden and seemingly helpless, a new romance brews between Jeremy and Lowen.
But things are not what they seem.
A terrifying moment reveals Lowen mid-passion with Jeremy—until she finds blood on her lip and realizes she’s kissing Verity. The psychological tension escalates quickly, leaving viewers questioning every character’s motives.
📚 From Bestseller to Big Screen
Verity, originally self-published in 2018, exploded in popularity and sold over 1 million copies in 2023 alone. Following the sleeper success of It Ends With Us and with Reminders of Him already in development at Universal, this marks Hoover’s latest high-profile transition to film.
Directed by Michael Showalter (The Eyes of Tammy Faye), Verity is produced by Amazon MGM and promises a chilling start to the summer box office.
In a pre-recorded message, the cast teased the thriller’s secrets:
“My character Verity Crawford is an accomplished author with a tragic past,” said Hathaway.
“Or is she?” Johnson interjected.
“My character, Jeremy Crawford, is a devoted husband protecting his wife’s legacy,” added Hartnett.
“Or is he?” Johnson teased again.
Hathaway closed the message with a confident promise:
“Seeing Verity in theaters will give fans the shared experience they’ve been waiting for.”
🎟️ Release Date:
Verity hits theaters May 15, 2026, kicking off the summer season with mystery, mind games, and murder.