What Is the New Lewis Pullman and Sally Field Movie on Netflix?

Every so often, a Netflix movie comes around that captures the hearts of many. Remarkably Bright Creatures, which made its debut on the streaming service this past weekend, is arguably the latest to do so.

Part of the draw has been the film’s stars: Oscar winner Sally Field and Thunderbolts* and Avengers: Doomsday star Lewis Pullman, as well as Alfred Molina voicing a sassy octopus. But part of the draw has also been the source material, Shelby Van Pelt’s novel of the same name. It has already become a bit of a phenomenon since its initial debut in 2022, already having sold more than two million copies and been reprinted thirty times. So, what is the fuss about? What exactly is the story of Remarkably Bright Creatures?

Remarkably Bright Creatures centers around Tova (played by Field), a widow who works at a local aquarium and finds joy again when she forms an unlikely bond with a Giant Pacific Octopus (voiced by Molina) and Cameron (played by Pullman), a wayward young man who comes to town in search of family. Together, they will uncover a mystery that will lead them to a life-changing discovery and restore their sense of wonder.

“Because I’m old, it’s very hard to find a role that’s interesting for an older woman. I never take to the kinds of stories about women and older women that are trying to find a man,” Field told People.com about the project. “I didn’t like it then, and it doesn’t appeal to me because I think women are about so much more.”

Who Is in the Cast of Remarkably Bright Creatures?

The cast of Remarkably Bright Creatures also includes Colm Meaney (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Bring Them Down), Joan Chen (Dìdi, The Wedding Banquet), Kathy Baker (The Ranch, Edward Scissorhands), Beth Grant (Little Miss Sunshine, No Country for Old Men), and Sofia Black D’Elia (Single Drunk Female, The Night Of).

Remarkably Bright Creatures is directed by Olivia Newman, who previously directed the film version of Where the Crawdads Sing. Newman co-wrote the script alongside Sonic the Hedgehog 3‘s John Whittington. Executive producers on the project include Van Pelt, Newman, Bryan Unkeless, Peter Craig, David Levine, Alyssa Rodrigues, Tony Lipp, Erika Hampson, and Alisa Tager.

“One of the places where I was able to find a really good character was on YouTube, watching videos of naughty octopuses that were escaping from their enclosures, or just getting up to antics in aquariums,” Van Pelt explained in an exclusive interview with Netflix’s TUDUM. “I remember thinking that would be such a fun voice to write, such a fun character to harness. The character of Marcellus came out of a little vignette that I wrote in a continuing education class.”

“Beyond Marcellus, Remarkably Bright Creatures is a story of love and grief,” Van Pelt continued. “Those are two emotions that everyone who walks this planet feels at some point, so the themes are very widely resonant. There’s just a wide range of ages and generations and characters that people can enjoy together.”

As mentioned above, Remarkably Bright Creatures is now available to stream exclusively on Netflix.

(featured image: Netflix)

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