Anne Hathaway looked tense on the set of Verity, the next book by Colleen Hoover that is being adapted into a film. 

The actress, 42, failed to raise a smile as she emerged from her trailer in New York on Thursday, looking ultra sophisticated in a chic white dress with textured neckline and her hair perfectly sleek.

She stepped out with a hardback book in one hand and the other carrying her floor length skirt, further showcasing her leopard print heels. 

An ᴀssistant ensured Anne, who plays the тιтle character, remained camera-ready by shielding her from the weather with an umbrella. 

Meanwhile, Hathaway’s co-star Josh Hartnett, 46, was also seen arriving to the set, looking smart and casual in a navy crewneck sweater and jeans as he enjoyed a cup of Joe. 

Filming on the movie has begun amid the legal drama stemming from another film adapted from a Hoover book – It Ends With Us.

Anne Hathaway looked tense on the set of Verity, the next book by Colleen Hoover that is being adapted into a film

Hathaway was announced as the lead in Verity in November, just a month before the legal drama between It Ends With Us leads Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni (who also directed the film) exploded.

Read More Anne Hathaway fans weigh in after she signs up for film adaptation of Colleen Hoover thriller Verity

Lively accused Baldoni of Sєxual harᴀssment and orchestrating a smear campaign against her in a lawsuit filed in December while Baldoni accused Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, 48, and publicist Leslie Sloane of defamation and extortion in a $400 million suit filed last month.

Baldoni has denied the allegations from Lively, while Lively, Reynolds and Sloane have denied the accusations made by Baldoni.

The legal drama remains on-going.

Colleen is now said to be fearing for her future projects after her debut film adaptation found itself at the centre of a bitter legal spat between Blake and Justin, with the saga reportedly threatening the casting for her next film.

The popular author, 45, scrubbed Lively, 37, from her Instagram account earlier this month, including a statement in which she described the actress as ‘honest, kind, supportive and patient,’ after quietly returning to the platform amid the explosive fallout.

The ongoing saga has reportedly left Anne toying with the idea of pulling out of the upcoming adaptation of Hoover’s 2018 psychological thriller, Verity.

Insiders have told DailyMail.com that Hoover is terrified of the impact on current projects and fears it could be detrimental to future deals. 

The actress failed to raise a smile as she emerged from her trailer, looking ultra sophisticated in a chic white dress with textured neckline and her hair perfectly slee

Co-star Josh Hartnett was also seen arriving to the set 

Meanwhile, another film adapted from a Hoover book – It Ends With Us – remains at the center of legal controversy 

‘The reason that Colleen scrubbed her social media accounts is because she doesn’t want this saga to impact any future film deals that she has in place, or that she is working on,’ an insider told DailyMail.com. 

‘Yes, Anne Hathaway was on the fence when the It Ends with Us stuff exploded. Colleen knows how devastating this could be for her deals. This is why you will not see her take any sides.’ 

‘Colleen did support Blake during It Ends with Us and they did strike up a friendship. But she has also been friends with Justin for a very long time.’

Hoover and Baldoni had formed a friendship before he took the lead, and directing duties, on It Ends with Us.

‘It would have never become a movie if it wasn’t for Colleen’s friendship with Justin,’ a second source said. ‘If it were up to Justin, the film would have stayed completely aligned with the book.

‘Yes, Colleen didn’t necessarily agree with the changes but even then, she took a step back and let it play out. Ultimately, she will have nothing to do with this and for good reason. She writes the stories that everyone is interested in telling on the big screen.

‘At the end of the day, Colleen is still friends with Justin. She doesn’t talk to Blake. Some people feel she is a sell out for not taking sides.’

With regards to Hathaway, they added: ‘Colleen would not want any actors to shy away from playing a character in her adaptations because of this ongoing drama. This is another reason she is just not getting involved.’ 

According to ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, Verity focuses on a character named Lowen Ashleigh, a down-on-her-luck writer who gets an unexpected lifeline with a dream offer.

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have been embroiled in legal drama over their work on It Ends With Us for months 

Verity Crawford (played by Hathaway) is a mᴀssively successful thriller writer, but her husband Jeremy asks Lowen to finish the final books in an ongoing series that Verity began after she has a mysterious and seemingly debilitating accident.

But once Lowen begins work at the couple’s opulent estate, she discovers a unfinished manuscript that threatens to reveal dark secrets about Verity and her husband’s pasts.

The young writer is forced to continue her work for Jeremy while trying to determine if Verity’s writings are merely fiction, or a disturbing warning from a dangerous woman.

Verity, which is described as a ‘psychoSєxual thriller,’ was self-published by Hoover in 2018.

The film adaptation also stars Josh as Jeremy and Dakota Johnson as Lowen.  

Colleen, who holds the distinction of having the first self-published book to ever top the New York Times Best Seller list (2012’s Hopeless), also self-published Verity in 2018, before it was bought by Grand Central Publishing in 2021 after it had already become its own sensation.