Sony had a pretty great Christmas in 2019 with the release of the film, “Little Women,” by filmmaker Greta Gerwig. Not only did the film strike a chord with critics and awards bodies, garnering acclaim and trophies along the way, but the film also was a box office hit for the studio, earning more than $203 million worldwide. For 2020, the studio is hoping to repeat its holiday luck with “The Nightingale.”
According to Deadline, Sony has given the WWII drama “The Nightingale” a Christmas 2020 release date. In addition to announcing the film’s date, the studio also revealed the creative team, which includes director Mélanie Laurent and sisters/actresses Elle and Dakota Fanning leading the cast. The last we heard about “The Nightingale” (not to be confused with Jennifer Kent’s recent acclaimed thriller), the film, based on Kristin Hannah’s novel, was set to be directed by filmmaker Michelle MacLaren way back in 2016. However, as things tend to happen, the project lingered in development, and now Laurent is aboard to adapt the bestseller for the big screen.
“The Nightingale,” tells the story of two sisters, on the eve of World War II, that come together to survive and resist the German occupation of France. The plot is inspired by the French Resistance’s real-life women that assisted downed Allied soldiers and helped hide Jewish children during the war.
As mentioned, the film is directed by Laurent, based on a script by Dana Stevens. Laurent, an acclaimed actress in her own right, has been busy behind the camera recently. “The Nightingale” marks her 5th narrative feature film behind the camera. Previously, she worked on films such as “Galveston,” “Diving,” and “Breathe.” She teamed up with Elle Fanning in the aforementioned “Galveston,” which was released in 2018.
Will Sony find “Little Women”-esque success with “The Nightingale?” We’ll find out when the film hits theaters on December 25.
Feb 21, 2021 Update: Once due December 25, 2021, Sony has delayed Melanie Laurent’s “The Nightingale,” by an entire year to December 23, 2022.