The film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel Verity, starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett, will now release on October 2, 2026, Amazon MGM Studios announced on Friday. The film was originally scheduled for May 15, 2026.
Directed by Michael Showalter, the thriller is expected to follow in the footsteps of successful October releases such as Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, both of which were based on popular novels and attracted large audiences.
Verity will debut the same weekend as Warner Bros.’ untitled Tom Cruise film directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, potentially setting up a box office showdown.
The story follows Lowen Ashleigh (played by Dakota Johnson), a struggling writer hired to complete a book series for the reclusive author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway). However, the job takes a dark turn when Lowen uncovers disturbing notes that reveal a web of family secrets. As she grows closer to Verity’s husband Jeremy (Josh Hartnett), Lowen begins to question what is real and what is fiction.
The film also stars Ismael Cruz Córdova and Brady Wagner. The screenplay was adapted by Nick Antosca, with contributions from Colleen Hoover, Lauren Levine, and others. Producers include Antosca, Stacey Sher, Showalter, Hathaway, and Hoover. Johnson also serves as an executive producer.
Production companies involved include Eat the Cat, Semi-Formal Productions, Shiny Penny, Somewhere Pictures, and Heartbones Entertainment.
The Verity trailer was first shown at CinemaCon in April and received a strong reaction from industry insiders. The move to October is seen as strategic, aligning the release with a season that has historically performed well for dark, female-led thrillers.
