There is a giant Pacific octopus at the center of “Remarkably Bright Creatures,” but Netflix is clearly selling something warmer and more human than high-concept whimsy. The first full trailer for Olivia Newman’s adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt’s best-selling novel has arrived ahead of the film’s May 8 premiere, with Sally Field leading a story about grief, second chances, and the strange, fragile ways people find each other again.
Field stars as Tova, a widow working at a local aquarium who begins to rediscover joy through an unlikely bond with a giant Pacific octopus and a drifting young man searching for family. “Thunderbolts*” stars Lewis Pullman plays that young man, while Alfred Molina voices Marcellus, the octopus whose presence gives the story its slightly offbeat emotional hook. The official synopsis frames the film as a mystery, too, with those relationships leading toward a life-changing discovery that restores a sense of wonder.
Newman directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay with John Whittington, adapting a novel that became a major word-of-mouth hit after spending more than 64 weeks on The New York Times best-seller list. That popularity has always given the project a built-in audience, and the film’s ensemble only adds to the appeal: Joan Chen, Kathy Baker, Beth Grant, Sofia Black-D’Elia, and Colm Meaney round out the cast alongside Field and Pullman.
“Remarkably Bright Creatures” premieres on Netflix on May 8. Watch the trailer below.
Christopher Marc is lead writer at The Playlist and the primary engine behind our daily news coverage. Chris is based in Canada and tracks everything from Marvel and Star Wars developments to arthouse acquisitions and festival buzz with equal enthusiasm and an instinct for the story readers actually want to read.
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