Michael Showalter, the director of the forthcoming and highly anticipated film Verityhas finally broken his silence over leaked set photos that circulated online earlier this year, featuring lead actress Dakota Johnson.
In a candid conversation with PEOPLE at the premiere of his new holiday movie, Oh. What. Fun.the 55-year-old director addressed the viral images for the first time.
Reflecting on fans’ reaction, Showalter said, “I mean, it was sort of wild to see that — how viral that went.”
He added, “But you know, people love Colleen Hoover and people love Dakota and people love blood so the combination of those three things, I think, were a perfect storm.”
It is worth noting that the viral images showed Johnson splattered in blood alongside Josh Hartnett.
“I’m so excited for the movie,” Showalter said of the upcoming film, which is based on Colleen Hoover’s novel Verity.
When asked whether focusing on motherhood in his recent projects, Verity and Oh. What. Fun.was a deliberate choice, the American director said it was not “intentional.”
“But I do somehow tend to gravitate towards stories with female protagonists. I’m not sure exactly why that is,” he explained. “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.”
Concluding the discussion, Showalter stated, “There’s no, like, big plan there 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.”
It is worth noting that Veritystarring Dakota Johnson, Josh Hartnett, and Anne Hathaway, is slated for release in May 2026.
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