Every ‘Verity’ Cast Member and the Character They Play (With Pictures)

Colleen Hoover’s novels have become a fixture on bestseller lists, and ‘Verity’ stands apart as her darkest work, a gothic psychological thriller rather than a straightforward romance. The novel came out in 2018 and built a quiet, devoted following before BookTok turned it into required reading. The long wait for a screen adaptation is now over, with ‘Verity’ directed by Michael Showalter and written by Nick Antosca, based on the novel by Colleen Hoover.

The film assembles a cast built around three recognizable leads supported by a handful of key players who shape the story’s twists. The movie is set for release on October 2, 2026, with a running time of 117 minutes and a reported budget of 40 million dollars. Below is a full rundown of who plays who in ‘Verity’, along with the details gathered from official casting announcements and studio materials.

Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway leads the film as the title character. She plays Verity Crawford, a bestselling author. Verity is convalescing after a debilitating accident, which is the event that sets the entire plot in motion.

Hathaway’s casting was the first major piece of news to come out of the production. In November 2024, Anne Hathaway was cast as Verity, and Michael Showalter signed on to direct. That timing places her attachment well before the rest of the ensemble came together.

Beyond acting, Hathaway has a hand in shaping the project from behind the camera as well. Hathaway is also an executive producer on the project, tasked with portraying the complex, possibly malevolent character at the heart of the story. This is not her first collaboration with Showalter either, since the director and Hathaway previously worked together on ‘The Idea of You’ in 2024, another book to movie adaptation.

Dakota Johnson

Dakota Johnson plays the film’s protagonist and audience entry point into the Crawford household. She portrays Lowen Ashleigh, a writer who is hired to complete Verity’s unfinished book series after the accident leaves Verity unable to continue. Lowen arrives at the Crawford estate to sort through years of notes and manuscripts, only to uncover a chilling autobiographical manuscript filled with disturbing confessions.

Johnson joined the cast shortly after Hathaway’s casting was confirmed. Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett joined the cast in December 2024. That put the two central performers in place well ahead of the film’s eventual shoot.

Like her co-star, Johnson also has a producing credit on the film. Johnson is serving as an executive producer, a move that suggests a strong creative vision for the protagonist’s journey into the dark corners of the Crawford house. Her character’s arc, torn between suspicion and attraction, is central to the marketing around the film.

Josh Hartnett

Josh Hartnett rounds out the film’s central trio. He plays Jeremy Crawford, Verity’s husband. Jeremy is the one who hires Lowen to finish his wife’s novels, since Verity cannot complete the series herself due to her injuries.

His casting came in the same wave as Johnson’s. Josh Hartnett joined the production in December 2024, following Hathaway’s attachment the previous month. The character sits at the emotional center of the story’s tension.

Jeremy is described as the pivot point for the film’s psychological conflict. Hartnett’s casting brings a brooding intensity to the role of a man caught between his wife’s secrets and a new, dangerous attraction. Lowen and Jeremy find their professional relationship tested by a mutual attraction, which becomes one of the film’s central complications.

Ismael Cruz Cordova

Ismael Cruz Córdova plays a supporting role that connects Lowen’s life outside the Crawford estate to the main plot. He plays Corey, Lowen’s literary agent and ex. The character gives the film a thread back to Lowen’s world before she moves in with the Crawfords.

Córdova brings name recognition from a major fantasy franchise into the cast. He is known for his role in ‘The Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power’. His casting was announced alongside several other supporting players who filled out the ensemble.

The character of Corey adds a layer of history and outside pressure to Lowen’s situation at the Crawford house. Córdova will play a key supporting role in Lowen’s life outside the mansion. That outside perspective becomes relevant as the story’s central mystery deepens.

Brady Wagner

Brady Wagner takes on one of the more delicate roles in the film. He plays Crew Crawford, the young son of Verity and Jeremy. The character sits at the emotional core of the Crawford family’s private tragedy.

Wagner comes to the film from a theater background rather than a long list of screen credits. He previously appeared on Broadway in ‘Merrily We Roll Along’. That stage experience marks his introduction to a major theatrical film.

As the youngest principal character in the cast, Wagner’s role carries significant weight in the story. Wagner takes on the pivotal role of the child at the center of the Crawford family’s unraveling. His performance is expected to anchor some of the film’s most difficult material given the novel’s subject matter.

‘Verity’ also features Irina Dvorovenko, K.K. Moggie and Michael Abbott Jr. in supporting parts, alongside a cast built around this central five. With the film’s dark subject matter and a lineup this stacked, which member of the ‘Verity’ cast are you most curious to see bring Colleen Hoover’s story to life.