‘Verity’ teaser sets eerie tone as Dakota Johnson's dream job with Anne Hathaway takes a violent turn
Amazon MGM has finally lifted the curtain on the much-talked-about adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s ‘Verity’. Released on April 27, the teaser wastes no time setting a tense, almost eerie tone. The footage opens with Dakota Johnson as Lowen Ashleigh moving through a dimly lit mansion. She heads directly toward Jeremy Crawford, played by Josh Hartnett. Lowen, a struggling writer, has been hired to finish a bestselling book series for Verity Crawford, the celebrated author now confined to a bed after a devastating accident. In the preview, Verity, portrayed by Anne Hathaway, lies motionless just a few feet away, supposedly asleep. Meanwhile, Lowen, dressed in a silk robe, joins Jeremy on the couch while he’s watching TV.
She sits on his lap, and the two share a kiss. But the teaser then takes a shocking turn. Midway through the kiss, Lowen suddenly pulls back, and in a blink, Jeremy is no longer himself; he’s Verity. Verity’s expression is cold, almost predatory, as she grabs Lowen and forces another kiss. This time, things get violent. Lowen’s lip splits, and Verity smiles with blood on her teeth, creating a disturbing visual. Lowen’s scream cuts through the silence, and soon after, ‘Can't Get You Out of My Head’ by Kylie Minogue kicks in. The teaser doesn’t slow down after that. It jumps between timelines, giving viewers glimpses of Verity before and after the accident. Before, she was confident and very much in control of her world. After, she’s confined to a wheelchair, distant, and dependent on others for her basic needs. One scene even shows her being fed with a spoon.
A chilling voiceover from Verity ties these clips together. She speaks directly, almost like she’s addressing Lowen or maybe even the audience. “Even with my generous warning, you’re going to continue to ingest my words,” she says, as the teaser cuts through a series of quick, intense flashes. There’s a bedroom scene featuring Lowen and Jeremy. Another shot shows someone pouring a mysterious substance into a drink. Dark corridors, blood stains, and panicked screams pile up one after another, giving the sense that nothing in this story is straightforward. Verity’s voice returns with another ominous line, “There is no light where we’re going. Darkness ahead.”
The film is directed by Michael Showalter, with a script by Nick Antosca. The story follows Lowen as she accepts what seems like a dream opportunity. She’s hired to finish a wildly popular book series for an author who can no longer write. But once she arrives at the Crawford home, things take a darker turn. She discovers an unpublished manuscript that reveals disturbing details about Verity’s life and thoughts. What starts as curiosity turns into fear, as Lowen begins to question whether the manuscript is fiction or a confession. As she spends more time in the house, Lowen grows closer to Jeremy and his young son, Crew. That connection complicates things. The more she learns, the harder it becomes to decide what to do with the truth she’s uncovered. ‘Verity’ is set to hit theaters on October 2.
