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Anne Hathaway has been cast as the titular character in an adaptation of Colleen Hoover's novel Verity -- and fans are not happy.
They quickly took to social media to lambast Hathaway's decision to take the role after the news broke on Deadline on Wednesday, November 20. The backlash came with a variety of reasons, though one of the biggest ones seemed to be suggesting that the 42-year-old Oscar winner was above the role.
A third begged, "anne you are so much better than these faux feminist and fanfiction cash grabs please drop this and get to work on princess diaries 3."
Another large portion of the complaints derived from the source material for the film being based on a Hoover novel. The formerly self-published author has faced a lot of backlash of her own with criticism that her books, like It Ends With Us, normalize or even romanticize abuse.
This was a key part of the drama surrounding promotion of the film adaptation of It Ends With Us, which seemingly pitted lead actress Blake Lively against lead actor and director Justin Baldoni. The former caught heat for using the film to promote her own businesses -- throwing events inspired by her character to sell her Betty Buzz drinks and Blake Brown Beauty hair care line -- and for downplaying the heavy themes of abuse by selling it as an opportunity to "grab your friends, wear your florals" and see the movie.
Baldoni, 40, on the other hand, used his airtime during the promotional tour to speak up for domestic violence victims, saying at the premiere, "This isn't my night -- this is a night for all the women who we made this movie for." However, the Jane the Virgin alum also caught flack for hiring an experienced crisis public relations manager amid his alleged conflict with Lively, 37.
Many on social media referenced this controversy in their posts about Hathaway's casting in Verity. One person shared a gif of Snoopy crying with the caption, "first they took blake lively and now they got anne TOO..."
Another suggested that Hathaway was hoping to see a big check like Lively, seeing as, despite the conflict, It Ends With Us -- which had a $25 million budget -- raked in $346 million at the worldwide box office.
"crying she saw that check blake lively got and said lemme have some," the X user wrote.
The reactions have not all been negative, however, as other fans celebrated Hathaway's casting, and declared the movie will be a hit.
"Anne Hathaway in a Colleen Hoover adaptation sounds like a hit. Can't wait to see it," one person posted.
Another X user shared, "Anne Hathaway brings Colleen Hoover's twisted thriller Verity to life, can't wait for this psychological ride!"
One fan celebrated that Hathaway "finally has her own Gone Girl," after the actress famously described it in a 2017 interview as one of her favorite rom-coms.
The adaptation of Hoover's No. 1 New York Times bestselling novel will be directed by Michael Showalter, who also co-wrote and directed Hathaway in the 2024 adaptation of Robinne Lee's The Idea of You.
Verity, per the Deadline summary, follows a struggling writer named Lowen Ashleigh who is on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling thriller author Verity Crawford (Hathaway), has hired Ashleigh to complete the remaining books in a successful series that his wife is unable to finish after a mysterious accident.
Upon arrival at the lavish Crawford estate, Ashleigh slowly learns that things are not exactly as they seem with the discovery of a secret, unfinished manuscript that may divulge chilling admissions about the family's past.
The film will be based on a script written by Nick Antosca of Candy, The Act, and A Friend of the Family, following previous attempts at the screenplay by Hillary Seitz, Angela LaManna, and Will Honley & April Maguire.
