A new trailer featuring Dakota Johnson and Anne Hathaway has sparked a huge reaction online after viewers spotted the pair sharing a heated kiss in scenes from an upcoming psychological thriller.
The first footage has taken many by surprise, with the stars shown in a strikingly intimate moment filmed for the project.
Amazon MGM dropped the trailer on Monday (April 27), ahead of the movie’s theatrical release later this year on October 2.
The film adapts Colleen Hoover’s 2018 bestseller Verity. It centres on struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh (Johnson), who is brought in to ghostwrite the remaining books in a popular series for celebrated author Verity Crawford (Hathaway) after Verity is injured.
As Lowen settles into the job, she discovers a disturbing, secret autobiography—pulling her into a tense, unsettling chain of events.
In the teaser released earlier this week, Lowen is shown moving through a shadowy house at night before making her way to Jeremy Crawford (Josh Hartnett), Verity’s husband.
Verity, left bedridden after a devastating car crash, appears to be asleep only a short distance away. Lowen changes into a silk robe, climbs onto Jeremy’s lap, and the two watch television together.
The moment quickly turns physical as Jeremy and Lowen begin kissing—until Lowen pauses and the scene shifts, with Jeremy now appearing as Verity.
Verity then holds Lowen’s face and forces another kiss, one that ends with blood smeared across Lowen’s lips.
Readers of the novel flooded social media with reactions, with plenty pointing out that this particular beat wasn’t described in the book.
“So like this literally never happened in the book???????,” one wrote.
As another said: “Colleen Hoover said ‘let me add trauma, plot twists… and now THIS??’ yeah this movie is about to have everybody confused and obsessed.”
Others agreed the adaptation now feels set to dominate conversation once it arrives.
“This adaption just went from ‘meh’ to must watch real quick,” one fan claimed.
Another wrote: “Book readers know how unhinged this story gets, Hathaway as Verity is going to be legendary.”
Verity is the latest Hoover title headed for the screen, following adaptations linked to her wider catalogue, including It Ends With Us, Regretting You and Reminders of Him.
Hoover originally self-published Verity in 2018, before Grand Central Publishing picked it up in 2021.
She’s also listed as a producer on the film.
Hoover has recently been asked about the book’s famously uncertain ending—and how the movie plans to handle it.
Speaking on the TODAY Show, Hoover replied: “That’s been the biggest challenge, I’m not going to give anything away, I’ve seen about seven different endings.
“But I feel like we’re on the same page with the one we wanted to go with.”