Verity Movie vs. Book: The Biggest Changes in the Colleen Hoover Adaptation
The big-screen version of Colleen Hoover's bestselling thriller "Verity" is finally in theaters, and fans of the book are already noticing what changed on the way to the screen. Warning: major spoilers for both the book and the movie are ahead.
Directed by Michael Showalter, the film stars Dakota Johnson as struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh, Anne Hathaway as bestselling author Verity Crawford and Josh Hartnett as Verity's husband, Jeremy. It opened in theaters on October 2.
What Stayed the Same
The core story is intact. Lowen witnesses a shocking accident in New York, agrees to finish the popular book series of an injured author and moves into the Crawford home in Vermont. There, she discovers Verity's secret autobiography, "So Be It," and its chilling passages are woven throughout the film, according to HollywoodLife.
The Biggest Changes
One less child. In the book, Verity and Jeremy have three children: twin daughters Chastin and Harper and a son, Crew. The movie drops Chastin entirely and makes Harper and Crew twins, cutting a tragic backstory from the novel.
Less sleepwalking. Lowen's sleepwalking is a key thread in the novel and feeds her fear of losing control. Most of those scenes were cut from the film. Johnson, who also produced the movie, said the scenes were filmed, "But to watch someone sleepwalk isn't really that interesting," Pedestrian reported. Hathaway has said she hopes a deleted scene of Lowen waking up in a snowy field will eventually be released.
A darker manuscript moment swapped out. One of the most disturbing passages from Verity's manuscript, involving her pregnancy, is left out. The film replaces it with a different scene that shows Verity's hostility toward her newborn daughter.
A romantic birthday dinner. In the book, Lowen, Jeremy and Crew share a casual meal at a diner. The movie turns it into a fancy dinner for Lowen's birthday without Crew, making Jeremy's feelings clearer.
No pen name. The book's detail about Lowen writing under the pen name Laura Chase does not make it into the film.
Famous cameos. The movie shows Verity appearing on the real podcast "Call Her Daddy" and the web series "Hot Ones," highlighting her fame as an author. Neither appears in the book.
Spicier scenes. The filmmakers worked many of the novel's steamy moments back into the script, and the film puts extra focus on Lowen's fascination with Verity.
A New Take on That Ending
The book's ending is famous for leaving readers debating. After Verity dies, Lowen finds a hidden letter claiming the manuscript was only a writing exercise, then destroys it before Jeremy can read it.
The movie shows more of the aftermath, including Jeremy and Lowen speaking with police after a body is recovered from the lake. The filmmakers tested several endings and chose one that shows each main character's point of view.
"You get three different versions of the story," Showalter said.
Hoover said watching the film changed how she saw her own characters, and that she ended up feeling sorry for the one she had always considered the bigger villain.
How the Movie Is Doing
Despite harsh reviews from some critics, "Verity" got off to a strong start, earning about $4.5 million in Thursday previews, JoBlo reported. That put it well ahead of Tom Cruise's "Digger," which opened the same weekend.
It is the latest Colleen Hoover book to hit the big screen, following "It Ends With Us" and "Reminders of Him."
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