The Nightingale: cast, plot and everything you need to know
The Nightingale is an emotional, heart-wrenching movie about two French sisters battling to survive in Nazi-occupied France during World War Two. And cast to play these fictional sisters are real-life sisters and Hollywood stars Elle and Dakota Fanning. It's their first project together since 2001 film I Am Sam.
The Nightingale was a bestselling and highly acclaimed wartime novel by author Kristin Hannah, whose previous novel Firefly Lane was turned into a major Netflix series of the same name.
So here's everything you need to know about The Nightingale movie...
The Nightingale release date
There's no official release date for The Nightingale in cinemas just yet, but it should arrive in the US and UK by 2025. We'll update with the release date as soon as we hear, plus if the movie will later be available to stream on either Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus or Prime Video.
Kristin Hannah gives a good update on where things are with the filming of The Nightingale below...
Is there a trailer for The Nightingale?
It's too early for a trailer for The Nightingale to be released but we'll be sure to post here as soon as one arrives.
The Nightingale plot
Set mostly in Nazi-occupied France during World War Two the action follows two estranged sisters Vianne Mauriac (Dakota Fanning) and the younger headstrong Isabelle Rossignol (Elle Fanning). Vianne is mother to an eight-year-old daughter and a local school teacher whose husband is taken prisoner by the German army at the start of the war, or he may even be dead. Vianne just wants to keep her head down and stay out of trouble in order to care properly for her young daughter in a harsh and dangerous time. Isabelle simply won't accept the Nazis being in charge of France and soon she is running errands for the French resistance, which could bring execution if she is caught. The sisters' differing outlooks during the war cause tensions and disputes between thew sisters, but will events conspire to bring them closer together again.
The Nightingale movie will have a similar story to the novel, although it’s possible there will be some changes. While the characters are fictional, some of their actions are based on real historical figures. Isabelle's escape route over the Pyrenees for downed Allied airmen was based on the Comet line of 24-year-old Andrée de Jongh, a Belgian woman who helped aviators and others escape.
The Nightingale cast — Dakota Fanning as Vianne Mauriac
Dakota Fanning plays school teach and mum Vianne Mauriac in The Nightingale. She is the sister of her co-star Elle Fanning and has previously starred in movies I Am Sam (2001), War Of The Worlds (2005), The Secret Life Of Bees (2008) and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019).
On television she recently played Susan Ford in the series The First Lady and was in Netflix series The Alienist.
Elle Fanning as Isabelle Rossignol
Elle Fanning plays Vianne's sister Isabelle Rossignol in The Nightingale, who joins the French resistance. Elle is the younger sister (by four years) of Dakota Fanning who plays Vianne. She also co-starred with Dakota in 2001 film I Am Sam when both were children.
Elle Fanning has also starred in historical TV series The Great, The GIrl From Plainville and movies such as Reservation Road, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Daddy Day Care.
Who else is starring in The Nightingale?
As soon as the other cast in The Nightingale is announced we'll update her so do check back.
Behind the scenes and more on The Nightingale
TriStar Pictures acquired the rights to the book The Nightingale in March 2015 so production has taken a long time. Elizabeth Cantillon, and then Michelle MacLaren has been hired to direct the project but they both dropped out. In December 2019, Melanie Laurent signed on as director — she's an actress who previously starred in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. Dana Stevens is the screenwriter adapting the novel while Elizabeth Cantillon remains on the production team.
