What you need to know
Earlier this year, fans got an unexpected and bloody first look at Verity after photos from the set were leaked. Director Michael Showalter shares his thoughts.
A snapshot of Josh Hartnett and a bloodied Dakota Johnson taken in New York City in March caused serious discussion on social media, and fans of Colleen Huber’s book on which the film is based were also affected. It was a “perfect storm,” Verity, 55, tells PEOPLE.
He was asked if he had a strong reaction to the leak at the Dec. 2 premiere of his new holiday movie, “O.” what. “That’s interesting,” said the director. “I mean, it was kind of wild to see that, how widespread it was.”
“But, you know, people love Colleen Hoover, people love Dakota, people love Blood,” he continued, “and I think the combination of those three was the perfect storm.”
Jon Nasion/Variety, via Getty
“I’m really looking forward to the movie,” Showalter added.
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In leaked set photos, Johnson, 36, who plays the struggling writer Rowen, appears to be depicting a scene from a book that involves a traffic accident with a bicycle. Hartnett, 47, who plays Jeremy Crawford, appears to have arrived at the scene across the street from Johnson’s character.
Verity also stars Anne Hathaway as best-selling thriller author Verity Crawford. The Amazon-MGM Studios film tells the story of Johnson, a struggling author who seizes a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to complete a successful series by the famous novelist.
Hathaway, 43, was also spotted filming the film with Harnett in New York. In February, the co-stars were photographed running around town holding hands.
Stewart image of New York/GC
While Hathaway confirmed that she has joined the film in November 2024, PEOPLE also reported that the Oscar-winning actress will work on the film as a producer alongside Showalter, with whom she previously worked on The Idea of You.
Romance movies of 2024 — like Verity and Oh. what. fun. — is a story centered around mothers.
Asked about the throughline of his latest project at the premiere of a Christmas movie starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Showalter admitted it wasn’t necessarily intentional.
Theo Wargo/Getty; Jamie McCarthy/Getty; Tim P. Whitby/Getty
“It’s not intentional, but for some reason I tend to gravitate toward stories with female protagonists. I don’t know exactly why,” the director tells PEOPLE. “I’m not going to question that, but I just…I somehow relate to their stories, even though I’m not a woman myself, so it just kind of happened.”
“There’s no big plan there,” Showalter added. “But I definitely feel a lot of empathy for these characters, I feel sympathy for them, I feel love for them, and I want to tell their stories.”
Verity is scheduled to be released in theaters on May 15, 2026, as reported by multiple outlets, including Variety. oh. what. fun. is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
