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Verity director Michael Showalter reacted to the leaked set photos of star Dakota Johnson in an exclusive chat with PEOPLE
Showalter shared his thoughts on the photos, which leaked in March, at the Oh. What. Fun. premiere on Dec. 2
Verity is an adaptation of the Colleen Hoover novel of the same name, and also stars Josh Hartnett and Anne Hathaway
Earlier this year, fans got an unexpected — and bloody — first look atVerityafter somephotos from the set leaked. Director Michael Showalter is sharing his thoughts.
The March snapshots ofJosh Hartnettand a blood-splatteredDakota Johnsonin New York City picked up serious steam on social media, with fans of theColleen Hooverbook the film is based on weighing in. It was the "perfect storm," theVeritydirector, 55, told PEOPLE.
Asked if he had a strong reaction to the leak at the Dec. 2 premiere of his new holiday movieOh. What. Fun., the director said, "I mean, it was sort of wild to see that — how viral that went."
"But you know, people love Colleen Hoover and people love Dakota and people love blood," he continued, "and so the combination of those three things, I think, were a perfect storm."
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"I'm so excited for the movie," Showalter added.
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In the leaked set photos, Johnson, 36, who plays struggling writer Lowen, appeared to depict a scene from the book involving a car accident with a cyclist. In character as Jeremy Crawford, Hartnett, 47, then seemingly arrived in the scene as he and Johnson's character crossed a street together.
Verityalso starsAnne Hathawayas best-selling thriller author Verity Crawford. The Amazon MGM Studios movie will tell the story of Johnson's struggling writer, who lands a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to finish a successful series by the titular novelist.
Hathaway, 43, was also seen filming the adaptation in N.Y.C. with Harnett. In February, the costars werephotographed running through the streetsas they held hands.
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Whileconfirming that Hathaway had joined the movieback in November 2024, PEOPLE also reported that the Oscar-winning actress would work on the film as a producer alongside Showalter, whom she previously worked with onThe Idea of You.
The 2024 romance film — likeVerityandOh. What. Fun. —is a story that centers on a mother.
Asked about the through line in his recent projects at the premiere of theMichelle Pfeiffer-fronted Christmas flick, Showalter admitted it wasn't exactly deliberate.
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"It's not intentional, but I do somehow tend to gravitate towards stories with female protagonists. I'm not sure exactly why that is," the director told PEOPLE. "I'm not gonna question it, but I just… I somehow connect to their stories, myself, even though I'm not a woman, and so it's just kind of happened that way."
"There's no, like, big plan there," added Showalter, "but I definitely do really relate to these characters, and I feel sympathy for them and I feel love for them and I want to tell their story."
Veritywill be released in theaters on May 15, 2026, as reported by multiple outlets, includingVariety.Oh. What. Fun.is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Read the original article onPeople
