Kristin Hannah’s ‘The Nightingale’ Gets Movie Cast and Release Date: ‘This Has Been a Long Time Coming’
Sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning will take on the lead roles, marking the first time the two have worked together
If you love Kristin Hannah’s bestselling historical fiction novels, then we have some good news for you! After several years of watching and waiting, there is finally news on The Nightingale movie, including casting updates (spoiler, it’s two very famous sisters) and a release date! Read on to learn about the film, including what Hannah herself has to say about the cast and the highly anticipated book-to-screen adaptation.
What we know about ‘The Nightingale’ movie
On Tuesday, July 22, Deadline exclusively reported that TriStar Pictures, along with Reese Witherspoon’s company Hello Sunshine, will be producing a feature film adaptation of Hannah’s bestselling World War II historical fiction novel The Nightingale. They also shared that Michael Morris (To Leslie and Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy) would be directing, and sisters Dakota (Ripley and The Perfect Couple) and Elle Fanning (Maleficent and A Complete Unknown) would be starring in it and helping to produce it. The Nightingale will be the first time the two have worked on a project together.
“This has been a long time coming and I know that fans of the book are more than ready to get the news,” Hannah wrote on Instagram following the announcement. “The whole process has been a reminder that faith and commitment and passion for a project can ultimately move mountains. We’ve made it through a worldwide pandemic and two strikes, and yet here we are, poised to begin!”
“I want to thank a few of the many people whose passion for the project made all the difference. First and foremost to my readers who NEVER stopped asking me when the movie was coming out. Thank you @ellefanning and @dakotafanning and @lewellenpictures for years of faith and making it all work, thanks to @filmbymichaelmorris for stepping up to lead us.”
This isn’t the first of Hannah’s books to make it off the pages and onto the screen: Her 2008 novel, Firefly Lane, was adapted into a Netflix miniseries starring Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke. It had 26 total episodes.
What is ‘The Nightingale’ about?
The Nightingale is a bestselling historical fiction novel originally published in February 2015. It has since become one of the most talked about books on BookTok (book TikTok). The plot follows two sisters—Vianne and Isabelle—as they try to learn how to live in France after the Nazis take over.
The novel has more than a million ratings on Goodreads and it won the Readers’ Favorite Historical Fiction award back in 2015 thanks to its page-turning storyline and well-researched plot.
“I love the research. It’s very easy to keep researching long after the moment that you should start writing. But what I love the most is editing,” Hannah exclusively told Woman’s World last year. “I love the research. It’s very easy to keep researching long after the moment that you should start writing. But what I love the most is editing. My least favorite part is coming up with an idea and actually rallying around it, being like, ‘Okay, this is what I’m going to spend three years of my life on.’ That’s the hardest part.”
When will ‘The Nightingale’ movie release?
As of publication, The Nightingale is due to release on February 12, 2027. The studio said they made this decision because it coincided with Valentine’s Day and the Super Bowl. It is also set to be the first female-centered film of that year.
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