The latest Colleen Hoover book-to-screen adaptation has done exactly what Hollywood hoped it would: send readers scrambling back to the source material while putting fresh names atop the box office charts. “Verity,” starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett, has been drawing crowds since its release, and now the film’s stars are using their newfound spotlight to talk about the books that shaped them as readers.

In an exclusive clip shared with Variety from Amazon News, the trio sat down for a rapid-fire Q&A designed to tease out what makes a story impossible to put down. Hathaway framed the exercise neatly, noting that since “Verity” revolves around the act of finishing a story, the cast would spend the segment completing sentences about the books that keep them hooked.

Inside the Twisted World Driving the Book-to-Screen Adaptation

“Verity” centers on Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer played by Johnson, who is hired by Jeremy Crawford (Hartnett) to finish a manuscript left unfinished by his comatose wife, bestselling novelist Verity Crawford, played by Hathaway. What begins as a professional arrangement spirals into a tangled, unsettling love triangle layered with secrets, suspicion and manipulation — the kind of psychological hook that made Hoover’s 2018 novel a sleeper hit years before cameras ever rolled.

That slow-burn dread carried directly into the cast’s answers during the Amazon segment. Asked what qualities make a great villain on the page, Hathaway pointed to interiority above all else. “It has to be somebody even if you’re not agreeing with what they’re saying, you want to listen to them,” she said, adding that a compelling antagonist needs “a great inner monologue” to keep readers — or viewers — leaning in rather than tuning out.

Johnson, for her part, was asked what “Verity” might leave audiences questioning. Her blunt response — “your sexuality” — drew attention as a nod to the film’s more provocative undercurrents, while Hartnett’s answer skewed toward the story’s central tension: trust. He suggested the film could leave viewers questioning “your partner,” predicting plenty of post-credits debate once audiences reach the twist-heavy ending.

A Novel’s Second Life Thanks to the Film

Originally published in 2018, Hoover’s novel spent years as a word-of-mouth favorite before this latest book-to-screen adaptation sent it rocketing back up bestseller lists. The surge mirrors a now-familiar pattern in publishing and entertainment: a strong film or streaming release doesn’t just draw new viewers, it resurrects backlist titles, often propelling them higher than their original release ever managed.

It’s a dynamic that has become central to how studios market literary properties in 2026. Rather than treating the book and the film as separate products, studios and retailers increasingly lean into the overlap — pairing premiere buzz with curated reading lists, author tie-ins, and cast-driven content like the Amazon segment, which doubles as both promotion and a genuine glimpse into what these actors read for pleasure.

Hathaway, when asked which recommendations she trusts most, pointed straight to the Man Booker Prize shortlist, signaling a taste for literary fiction well outside the thriller genre she was there to promote. Hartnett took a more personal route, crediting a longtime friend whose taste he trusts because, as he put it, that friend simply “knows me” and “knows things” — a reminder that even amid a glossy studio rollout, reading recommendations often come down to something as old-fashioned as a trusted friend’s opinion.

What the Cast’s Picks Reveal About the Genre

The books suggested alongside the cast’s answers trace a clear through-line connecting “Verity” to the broader psychological thriller boom currently reshaping both publishing and film. Ashley Elston’s “First Lie Wins,” a Reese’s Book Club pick about a woman living under a false identity, was offered as the answer to Hathaway’s villain prompt. Freida McFadden’s BookTok sensation “The Housemaid” — itself already adapted into a 2025 feature starring Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney — matched Hartnett’s “question your partner” theme, reinforcing just how thoroughly domestic-suspense thrillers have colonized the pipeline from page to screen.

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s “Atmosphere,” a GMA Book Club selection about a NASA engineer navigating forbidden romance and identity, was tied to Johnson’s answer, while two Booker Prize shortlisted titles — Susan Choi’s “Flashlight” and “The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny” — rounded out Hathaway’s literary-fiction leanings.

Taken together, the recommendations underline why “Verity” landed as it did: the novel sits at the intersection of soapy, binge-worthy suspense and the kind of morally ambiguous character work that keeps serious readers engaged, a combination that has made Hoover one of the most adapted authors of her generation. With streaming platforms and studios still hungry for the next twisty bestseller, this particular book-to-screen adaptation likely won’t be the last time audiences see a Hoover title make the jump from paperback to premiere.

For now, “Verity” remains in theaters, with its box office momentum and the novel’s resurgent sales suggesting that whatever Hollywood is doing to court bookish audiences in 2026, it’s working.

Russell T Davies has spent a quarter of a century turning British television inside out, from the taboo-busting Queer As Folk to his triumphant revival of Doctor Who. But in a new interview tied to the release of his memoir, The Queerest of Folk, the celebrated writer reveals a darker undercurrent to his success: a level of online hatred and real-world intimidation so severe that he now keeps a kitchen knife by his front door.

Speaking ahead of the memoir’s publication, Russell T Davies described how years of being branded a “paedophile” and “groomer” online — much of it stemming from his vocal support for trans rights — have curdled from abstract digital abuse into something far more frightening. “People have worked out my address, and one person turned up at my house,” he said. “If you believe a paedophile lives here, it’s not the maddest thing in the world to come and get me.”

Fierce fandom turns personal for Russell T Davies

It’s a jarring image for a man often described as one of the most affable figures in television. Davies, 63, built his reputation not just on storytelling but on warmth — a writer willing to laugh off being assaulted by a gang of homophobic bus conductors decades ago, or to find solace in work during the darkest days following his husband’s death. Yet the same passionate audiences who made him a cultural touchstone — first through groundbreaking queer drama, later through his stewardship of one of Britain’s most beloved sci-fi franchises — have also produced a fringe capable of real menace.

“The online world is becoming the real world,” Davies said, describing how accusations spread by figures such as anti-trans campaigner Graham Linehan have taken root among people who “believe it when they’re told the Earth is flat.” He added: “What scares me is that I can’t see an end to it. Nothing is going to unseat these tech barons — it will require some sort of revolution to stop them. So for the first time in history, hatred is being monetised by an algorithm.”

From Queer As Folk to Doctor Who

Long before he became a lightning rod for culture-war hostility, Davies was already courting controversy. His 1999 series Queer As Folk — a frank, unapologetic portrait of gay life in Manchester — scandalised tabloids on release, with the Daily Mail declaring that any nation permitting such content was “hell-bent on destruction.” A storyline involving a sexual relationship between a 29-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy remains, by his own admission, one of the show’s most provocative elements.

Asked whether he would write the same storyline today, given how “grooming” accusations are now routinely weaponised against gay men, Davies didn’t flinch. “I would,” he said, pointing out that in 1999 the fictional teenager would have grown up under Section 28, the law banning schools from “promoting” homosexuality, leaving him with no one to confide in. “People say: ‘Oh my God, he was 15, that’s illegal.’ It’s a drama!”

That same appetite for nuance over neat moral lessons runs through his most recent work. His drama Tip Toe, centred on a political feud between neighbours that spirals into violence, included a gender-critical character — a choice that unsettled some viewers but which Davies defends as essential to honest storytelling. “I think it’s important to hear all voices,” he said, noting that earlier hits like Years and Years and It’s a Sin also featured gay characters who voted Conservative. “If you watch most dramas you’d think those people don’t exist.”

A career built on risk

Davies has previously criticised a newer generation of television writers for prioritising “positive representation” over genuine storytelling, arguing that drama thrives on complexity rather than comfort. It’s a philosophy that has defined his career — one that revived Doctor Who from cancellation, reshaped perceptions of queer life on British screens, and repeatedly placed him at odds with audiences expecting simpler narratives.

That willingness to court discomfort has made Russell T Davies both a beloved figure and, increasingly, a target. Yet even as he describes keeping a knife “ready to use” by his door, his tone remains one of weary resolve rather than despair — a writer who has spent his life refusing to flinch from uncomfortable truths, even when those truths now follow him home.

These ghost stories still haunt us to this day.

Source link

The second episode of Celebrity Traitors has claimed its first casualty, and it wasn’t pretty for anyone involved, least of all Richard E Grant, whose rookie performance as a traitor nearly blew the whole game wide open before a single body had hit the floor.

Friday’s instalment of the BBC hit saw broadcaster Amol Rajan become the inaugural victim of this year’s series, murdered in the night by traitors Grant and Maya Jama after a tense recruitment twist brought comedian James Acaster into their ranks. Rajan, the University Challenge host, was whisked away in a coffin before he even had the chance to take part in a banishment vote. “It’s gutting to be the first out,” he admitted afterwards, suggesting his downfall may have stemmed from being “a bit bullish with Richard” earlier in the day.

The episode pulled in a peak audience of 8.6 million viewers, just shy of the 8.9 million who tuned in for the series opener, confirming that the celebrity edition of the format has lost none of its addictive pull on the British public.

A shaky start for the Celebrity Traitors newcomers

If Jama has taken to deception like a natural, Grant has had a far bumpier induction. The Oscar-nominated actor spent much of the episode in full damage-control mode after accidentally confessing his traitor status to Joe Lycett, Rob Beckett and several other faithfuls during an earlier bar conversation. Rather than sinking his game immediately, the blunder seems to have worked in his favour, with many of his fellow players assuming a man capable of playing a Spice Girls manager in Spice World: The Movie would surely attempt something craftier than simply announcing the truth.

“I am quite shocked at my ability to just lie to everyone,” Jama confessed in the diary room, calling herself “an all-or-nothing kind of honey.” Her composure stands in stark contrast to Grant’s frantic backpedalling, and it’s clear which of the two traitors viewers should be watching most closely as the series progresses.

Acaster, newly recruited into the murderous trio, voiced the moral unease that has become a hallmark of the show’s best traitor storylines. “I’m gutted to not be a faithful anymore, I don’t like lying,” he said. “But if I don’t join them, they’ll kill me.” It’s a logic few could argue with, and one that has defined many a Celebrity Traitors recruitment twist in previous runs of the format.

Suspicions swirl among the faithful

Among the remaining faithful, theories began circulating almost immediately. Mathematician Hannah Fry claimed she’d spotted Leigh-Anne Pinnock applying make-up suspiciously late in the evening, hinting at a possible trip to the turret. Model Jerry Hall, meanwhile, briefly raised hopes that this year’s cast might prove sharper detectives than last year’s by declaring “I think it’s James” — before clarifying she meant singer James Blunt rather than the newly turned Acaster.

The day’s mission added its own layer of jeopardy. Players were buried alive in pairs, with Ross Kemp and Romesh Ranganathan pre-selected by the traitors to be spared the ordeal. The pair were given the choice of unearthing gold graves to boost the prize pot or freeing their buried castmates, and chose the latter, prompting a muddy, good-natured scramble as fellow contestants clawed their way out of the dirt.

Not everyone made it out so calmly. Fry and Hall were the last two left underground, with Hall eventually invoking the emergency word “Haggis” to be released early, visibly rattled by the experience. The decision guarantees that one of the pair will now face the traitors’ blade next, unless a new recruitment changes the equation. “Just you and me up for murder,” Fry told Hall afterwards. “You’d better not be a traitor or I’m really screwed!”

What’s next for Celebrity Traitors

Behind the scenes, a flashback revealed the traitors’ reasoning for sparing Kemp from burial. “I think if we give it to Ross, he’ll overthink it, and behave in a way that would draw suspicion,” Acaster explained to his new partners in crime, earning praise from Grant, who called him “a wonderful traitor” — a compliment that, given his own fumbling start, carries a certain irony.

With one murder claimed, a near-confession survived, and two faithful players now facing the prospect of banishment, the stakes for Celebrity Traitors are only intensifying. If the opening fortnight is any indication, this year’s cast may lack the sharp instincts of past winners, but they are making up for it with chaos, charm and the occasional accidental confession that somehow still works in their favour.

David Corenswet’s future as Superman reportedly looks secure even as major changes are coming to Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Studios.

According to a new report from insider Jeff Sneider, Corenswet is expected to remain the DC Universe’s Superman for years following the merger involving Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery.

The report indicates that Corenswet’s position as the Man of Steel is not expected to be affected by potential changes surrounding DC Studios once the merger is completed. One source reportedly suggested Corenswet could remain in the red cape for as long as the next decade.

While that should not be treated as an official commitment from DC Studios or the incoming company, it is an encouraging sign for the future of the current Superman.

Corenswet made his debut as Clark Kent/Superman in James Gunn’s Superman, officially launching the theatrical side of Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe.

He is already set to return in Man of Tomorrow, continuing the story established in Superman. The film is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on July 9, 2027.

David Corenswet as Superman [Warner Bros.]

The timing of the report is particularly interesting because Warner Bros. Discovery is preparing for another major change in ownership. Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery have announced that their merger is expected to close on October 6, bringing Warner Bros., DC and Paramount under the same corporate umbrella.

Major ownership changes frequently lead to questions about existing franchises, executives and long-term creative plans. DC fans experienced exactly that during the transition from the previous DC film universe to Gunn and Safran’s DCU, which ultimately resulted in Henry Cavill departing the Superman role shortly after announcing his return.

Corenswet, however, reportedly isn’t facing the same uncertainty.

David Corenswet as Superman [Warner Bros.]

There is also an existing connection between Corenswet and the incoming Paramount leadership. The actor stars in Paramount’s upcoming Mr. Irrelevant, giving the studio another major project with the actor outside of his Superman role.

Exactly what the merger means for the leadership and long-term structure of DC Studios remains to be seen. Gunn and Safran currently oversee the DC Universe, but the new ownership structure could eventually bring changes throughout Warner Bros. and its major franchises.

For now, though, one of the biggest pieces of the DCU reportedly appears to be staying in place.

David Corenswet is Superman — and if the latest report proves accurate, he could be wearing the cape for a long time.

The post David Corenswet Reportedly Expected to Remain Superman for Years After Warner Bros. Merger appeared first on Coastal House Media.

Source link