Anne Hathaway Tells Dakota Johnson “There Is No Light Where We’re Going” in ‘Verity’ Official Trailer

Amazon MGM Studios unveiled the official trailer and poster on Tuesday for “Verity,” a psychological thriller starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett. It is slated for release in theaters on October 2nd.

Based on Colleen Hoover’s 2018 bestseller, the film stars Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson), an underemployed writer who goes to the Crawford estate to write ghost stories for famous author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway), who is unable to complete her thriller series after an accident. She discovers Verity’s supposedly autobiographical notes, containing disturbing confessions about her husband, Jeremy (Josh Hartnett). She tries to understand what is true and what is a manipulation of facts, grappling with attraction and obsession.

The movie is helmed by Michael Showalter, who previously worked with Hathaway on “The Idea of You,” from a screenplay written by Nick Antosca, the author of “The Act” and “Candy.”

The new trailer expands on the teaser Amazon MGM has already presented in April at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. There, Hathaway warned: “There is no light where we’re going.” The complete trailer demonstrates Lowen’s relationship with Jeremy as Verity lies bedridden in the house and hints at Lowen’s ambivalent attitude toward Verity.

Other cast members include Ismael Cruz Córdova and Brady Wagner. Producers are Nick Antosca, Alex Hedlund, Stacey Sher, Michael Showalter, Jordana Mollick, Anne Hathaway, and Colleen Hoover. Executive producers are Kerry Orent, Dakota Johnson, and Lauren Levine. The movie is produced by Eat the Cat, Semi Formal Productions, Shiny Penny, Somewhere Pictures, and Heartbones.

The film is rated R for sexual content, some nudity, language, violence, and bloody images. This is a tougher rating compared to most of Hoover’s romance adaptations.

Colleen Hoover has been experiencing success in Hollywood recently. “It Ends With Us” started the trend in 2024, then came “Regretting You,” earning about $90 million worldwide on a $30 million budget in 2025, and “Reminders of Him” opening to $18.2 million in the U.S. and earning around $84.5 million worldwide.

Experts say the secret to the success is demand for adult romance dramas, not good reviews. According to Jeff Bock, an analyst at Exhibitor Relations, Hollywood is not producing enough adult romance dramas, and Hoover’s movies fill this gap.

“Verity” is a tonal shift for Hoover’s adaptations. While previous movies were devoted to romance and family themes, this one is a gothic thriller, more similar to “Rebecca” or “Gone Girl” than to Hoover’s previous work. Moreover, it is the first Hoover adaptation to be led by an Academy Award winner, Anne Hathaway, who won Best Supporting Actress for “Les Misérables” in 2013.

Hoover’s novel was initially self-published in 2018 and later acquired by Grand Central Publishing. It remained on The New York Times bestseller list thanks to readers of TikTok. The twist of the story lies in the letter changing the interpretation of previous events, and the trailer does not show which truth will prevail in the movie.

“Verity” will be released in theaters only on October 2nd.