What is Anne Hathaway’s Verity about? Colleen Hoover controversy explained

Anne Hathaway has been cast in the upcoming movie Verity, so why has the announcement split opinion? It has something to do with Colleen Hoover. 

Even if you’re not familiar with her books, you will have likely heard the name a lot over the past year due to the adaptation of her novel It Ends With Us. 

The new movie drew widespread criticism when it dropped in summer, partly due to how it portrayed the issue of domestic violence but also because of rumors of issues between star Blake Lively and director Justin Baldoni.

The It Ends With Us drama has since died down, but it’s been reignited again amid the announcement of Amazon MGM Studios’ Verity adaptation – here’s everything you need to know. 

What to expect from the Verity movie plot

Hachette Book Group

Directed by Michael Showalter and penned by Nick Antosca, Verity follows Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer who is hired to complete a popular series of books after the original author, Verity Crawford, is left incapacitated. 

As Lowen integrates herself into the life of Verity’s husband Jeremy Crawford and their young son Crew, she begins to sift through the writer’s notes, discovering chilling secrets that make her question what’s real and what’s not.

In November 2024, Deadline confirmed that Anne Hathaway had joined the cast as Verity. This will see the Oscar-winning actress reunited with Showalter after the pair worked together on The Idea of You.

Antosca is now on writing duties, penning the script from the story of Colleen Hoover’s 2018 best-selling novel of the same name. “The novel is a gothic, psychosexual thriller in the vein of Rebecca and Gone Girl,” said the outlet. 

Verity controversy explained

Sony

Opinion of Hathaway joining the cast has been mixed following the It Ends With Us controversy, which went viral amid the movie adaptation’s release in August. 

For the uninitiated, it started with rumors of issues between the cast and Baldoni after claims that none of the main actors including Lively were following him on Instagram. They also weren’t seen at the premiere with the filmmaker, which only fueled speculation. 

Although plenty of insiders alleged issues between Lively and Baldoni, none of those directly involved confirmed or denied the rumors. 

The main criticism, however, related to how Lively promoted the film, with many taking issue with the fact that she made a lighthearted video with her husband Ryan Reynolds and promoted her haircare and alcohol brands during the press run.

The most infamous line came from a promotional video in which Lively told viewers to, “Grab your friends, wear your florals, and head out to see it,” with spectators accusing her of making It Ends With Us sound more like a rom-com than a drama about domestic violence.

This, in turn, revived old criticisms that Hoover trivialized or even romanticized abuse in her writing. Many pointed towards the author’s plan to launch an It Ends With Us coloring book, which she withdrew and apologized for the “tone-deaf” idea.

It was one of the biggest talking points of the summer blockbuster run, which is why some fans have expressed apprehension about Verity. 

“Never thought she’d stoop so low to support someone that sexualizes k*ds and thinks DV is romantic,” wrote one on X/Twitter, while another said, “Anne you can still get away.”

A third added, “How Anne Hathaway has gone from starring in Christopher Nolan’s [work]… to a movie based on the problematic and abuser apologist novelist Colleen Hoover is beyond me. Hopefully, she’ll drop it.”

A fourth chimed in, “I already see Anne Hathaway working on the Hallmark Channel in a few years at this rate!”

Anne Hathaway casting also sparks excitement

20th Century Fox

But not all of the feedback is negative, however, especially as Verity is a psychological thriller, and doesn’t delve into sensitive themes in the same way that It Ends With Us does.

As one X/Twitter user wrote, “Okay but that book was really good.” A second commented, “Perfect casting! Anne Hathaway has the range for this dark and twisted role.”

“Anne Hathaway starring in a toxic thriller? She’s about to redefine unhinged,” said another, while a fourth added, “That’s awesome! Anne Hathaway is such a talented actress. I bet she’ll bring a lot of depth to the character.”

There’s no news on who’ll be joining her in the cast just yet, but we do know Hathaway is one of the busiest stars in Hollywood right now. 

Alongside Verity, she’s got The Princess Diaries 3, Flowervale Street, Paper Tiger, The Devil Wears Prada 2, Mother Mary, and Yesteryear in the pipeline, not to mention Christopher Nolan’s next movie. 

We’ll be sure to keep you posted when new details about Verity roll in. Until then, check out the best movies of the year so far, as well as the new films coming to streaming this month.