The Nightingaleis set to be released on June 19, 2025. Directed by Mélanie Laurent, it is based on a novel of the same name and stars Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning as sisters during World War II, working to survive the German occupation in France. Elizabeth Cantillon served as the producer, the screenplay was by Dana Stevens, andThe Nightingalewill be distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing.
The book, which came out in 2015, was written by Kristin Hannah and inspired by the real-life story of Andrée de Jongh; throughout the war, this 24-year-old Belgian woman helped 118 Allied pilots escape the Nazis. At one point, she was captured and sent to a concentration camp, but after the war, she became a countess, before passing away in 2007. The drama ended up on a couple of best-selling lists, including NPR’s Hardcover Fiction Bestseller List and the New York Times' bestseller list.
In the upcoming flick,Dakota Fanningwill portray Vianne Mauriac, and her younger sister, Elle, will portray Isabelle Rossignol, whose tale is similar to de Jongh’s. The Fanning sisters are not strangers to roles in dramatic films, as Dakota was inWar of the Worldsin 2005, and Elle was inSuper 8in 2011. Dakota is also known for appearing inUptown Girls,The Twilight SagaandOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood, to name a few, while Elle played Princess Aurora inMaleficentand its sequel,Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, and plays Catherine the Great inThe Greaton Hulu.
Previously, both of these actresses appeared inI Am Samtogether, whenElle Fanningplayed the younger version of Dakota’s character, Lucy Diamond Dawson, in 2001. This will be the first time they act on-screen together, though.
Laurent, the director ofThe Nightingale, has also been seen on the big screen in works such asNow You See MeandInglourious Basterds, and Elle worked with her onGalvestonin 2018, a film that marked Laurent’s directorial debut.
The novel was first acquired back in 2015, by TriStar Pictures. In 2017, after filming took place in Budapest, Hungary and Los Angeles, California, the film was set to come out on July 30, 2025. In 2020, that date was pushed back again, andduring the COVID-19 pandemic, the project was taken off the release calendar completely. In April 2020, though, TriStar announced thatThe Nightingalewould be coming out at the end of this year.
The sisters in this story are separated, captured, abused and persecuted. They must deal with everything from dwindling food supplies and the loss of a job to beinghunted down by the Nazis. Their emotional adventures make for a moving and inspiring book and movie … a movie that was made possible by a great deal of talent behind and in front of the camera.
While the release date has been pushed back numerous times, in the midst of a pandemic, fans can now mark their calendars for three days before Christmas, whenThe Nightingalewill finally be put out by Sony Pictures Releasing.
