Dakota Johnson’s upcoming psychological thriller Verity is already creating buzz ahead of its theatrical release. At the film’s UK premiere in London this week, Johnson opened up about its central themes. She explained how the story explores truth, trust, deception, and morality.
Interestingly, Johnson also said those themes feel close to real life.
Johnson plays Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer looking for her big break. Soon, she gets an unexpected opportunity. She is hired to continue the book series of celebrated author Verity Crawford after a devastating accident leaves Verity unable to work.
However, the job soon takes a disturbing turn.
Based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, Verity combines psychological suspense, family secrets, and complicated relationships. As Lowen enters the Crawford family’s isolated home, she discovers information that makes her question almost everything around her.
Why Dakota Johnson was drawn to Verity
For Johnson, the biggest attraction was the uncertainty.
The film does not offer simple answers. Instead, it keeps audiences guessing about who can be trusted.
During the London premiere, Johnson highlighted this constant uncertainty. The story raises several questions. Who is telling the truth? Who is hiding something? And, most importantly, what is actually real?
As a result, viewers are encouraged to keep reassessing the characters.
Moreover, that uncertainty reflects real life in an interesting way. People often make decisions without knowing the full story. Verity takes that familiar experience and turns it into a tense psychological mystery.
Therefore, every new revelation can change the way audiences see the characters.
Just when one explanation seems convincing, another possibility appears.
Inside the plot of Verity
Lowen arrives at the Crawford family estate for what seems like a simple professional assignment.
She has been hired to help complete a bestselling book series written by Verity Crawford. However, Verity can no longer finish the project following a serious accident.
Her husband, Jeremy Crawford, played by Josh Hartnett, brings Lowen into the family home.
At first, everything appears manageable. Soon, however, Lowen discovers something disturbing.
She finds what appears to be an unpublished autobiographical manuscript. The material contains shocking revelations about the Crawford family.
Naturally, Lowen becomes suspicious.
But there is a bigger problem. She cannot determine whether the manuscript is completely truthful. It could be an honest account. It could also be fiction. Or perhaps it was created to manipulate whoever eventually discovered it.
That question becomes the heart of the story.
Anne Hathaway joins Dakota Johnson
The film features an impressive Hollywood cast.
Anne Hathaway plays the mysterious Verity Crawford. Meanwhile, Josh Hartnett portrays her husband, Jeremy.
Johnson’s Lowen soon finds herself caught between the two characters.
As a result, the three leads drive much of the film’s tension. Each character appears to have their own version of events.
However, those versions do not always match.
That is what makes the relationships so complicated. Lowen cannot simply accept everything she is told. Instead, she has to observe, investigate, and make difficult choices.
Josh Hartnett on the film’s mystery
Hartnett has also discussed what attracted him to the project.
Rather than giving audiences an obvious villain, Verity leaves room for interpretation. Therefore, viewers can examine the clues and question the characters for themselves.
That approach fits the psychological-thriller genre particularly well.
Instead of explaining every mystery immediately, the film allows doubt to grow. Consequently, the audience becomes part of the investigation.
Every character can appear trustworthy in one moment and suspicious in the next.
Michael Showalter directs Verity
Michael Showalter takes the director’s chair for the adaptation.
The filmmaker, known for The Big Sick, was drawn to the unusual combination of romance, desire, fear, and suspense in Hoover’s story.
As a result, Verity aims to create a world that feels both attractive and unsettling.
Showalter has also focused on trusting the audience. Rather than explaining every detail, he allows viewers to sit with uncomfortable ideas.
That decision gives the thriller a more ambiguous tone.
Furthermore, it makes the story about more than simply solving a mystery. It also becomes a question of perception.
Truth and manipulation take center stage
At its core, Verity explores the difficulty of separating truth from fiction.
Lowen initially enters the Crawford home for professional reasons. However, things quickly become more complicated.
As she spends more time with the family, professional boundaries begin to disappear.
At the same time, attraction and suspicion start to overlap.
The manuscript makes everything even more complicated. It may contain answers about the Crawford family. Yet, because its authenticity remains uncertain, it also creates new questions.
Therefore, Lowen must decide what she believes.
More importantly, she must decide who she can trust.
Dakota Johnson embraces darker characters
The role also reflects Johnson’s interest in more complicated characters.
The actor has expressed interest in playing darker and more villainous roles. She has also described the experience of portraying unpredictable characters as enjoyable.
That makes Verity an interesting addition to her filmography.
Unlike a straightforward hero, Lowen is placed in an environment where every decision carries consequences.
She is curious. She is ambitious. She is also increasingly vulnerable.
As the mystery deepens, those qualities begin to collide.
Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel gets a film adaptation
Verity is based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling psychological thriller.
The novel has built a large readership around its combination of mystery, romance, family secrets, and suspense. Now, that story is moving from the page to the big screen.
Hoover has also been involved with the movie adaptation.
The film additionally features a cameo from the author, adding another connection between the book and its cinematic version.
Meanwhile, Showalter has indicated that the movie embraces some of the more sensual elements of the original story.
As a result, the adaptation aims to retain the book’s darker and more provocative atmosphere.
Why the ending could spark conversations
One of the most intriguing aspects of Verity is its ambiguity.
The story does not simply ask audiences to discover what happened. Instead, it encourages them to question the information they receive.
That approach could make the ending particularly interesting for viewers.
After all, the same evidence can sometimes lead people to different conclusions.
Throughout the film, Lowen must decide whether what she reads is fact or fiction. At the same time, audiences must make their own observations.
Consequently, the mystery continues even after major revelations.
When will Verity release?
Verity is scheduled for a theatrical release beginning in late September and early October 2026, with dates varying across territories.
The film brings together Dakota Johnson, Anne Hathaway, and Josh Hartnett under director Michael Showalter.
For fans of Colleen Hoover’s novel, the adaptation offers a chance to see the controversial psychological story brought to life.
For thriller audiences, meanwhile, the film promises secrets, suspicion, romance, and plenty of unanswered questions.
A thriller built on doubt
Ultimately, Verity revolves around one powerful idea: Can you really know whom to trust?
Dakota Johnson’s comments highlight why that question matters to the story.
The film takes an everyday human experience — judging people without knowing the complete truth — and turns it into an intense psychological mystery.
Moreover, Lowen’s journey forces her to question everything around her.
What she sees may not be the complete story. What she reads may not be the truth. And the people she trusts may not be who they appear to be.
That uncertainty could be what keeps audiences talking long after the credits roll.
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About the author
Neha Nikharge is Assistant Editor at Awesome TV and a writer for AWSM Times. Neha covers Bollywood, OTT releases, celebrity interviews and pop culture for South Asian audiences in the US and around the world, and has written more than 4,500 stories for Awesome TV. Story tips and corrections: hello@awesometv.com.
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