Remarkably Bright Creatures
Release poster
Directed by Olivia Newman
Screenplay by
  • Olivia Newman
  • John Whittington
Based on Remarkably Bright Creatures
by Shelby Van Pelt
Produced by
  • Bryan Unkeless
  • Peter Craig
  • David Levine
Starring
  • Sally Field
  • Lewis Pullman
  • Joan Chen
  • Kathy Baker
  • Beth Grant
  • Sofia Black-D'Elia
  • Colm Meaney
  • Alfred Molina
Cinematography Ashley Connor
Edited by Tamara Meem
Music by Dickon Hinchliffe
Production
companies
  • Anonymous Content
  • Night Owl Stories
Distributed by Netflix
Release date
  • May 8, 2026 (2026-05-08)
Running time
111 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English

Remarkably Bright Creatures is a 2026 American mystery drama film directed by Olivia Newman (who co-wrote the film with John Whittington). It is an adaptation of the 2022 novel Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt and starring Sally Field, Lewis Pullman, Joan Chen, Kathy Baker, Beth Grant, Sofia Black-D'Elia, and Colm Meaney, with Alfred Molina providing the voice of Marcellus the octopus. The film tells the story of an elderly cleaning lady who takes in a young drifter, with their friendship being observed by a Giant Pacific octopus.

Plot

Tova Sullivan is an elderly cleaning lady who works nights cleaning an aquarium in Sowell Bay, Washington, despite having been encouraged to retire. There, she shares gossip and a friendship of sorts with the arrogant Marcellus, himself also on the older side (for an octopus). Cameron is a young drifter who ends up in town, with expensive repairs required for his van. After injuring herself, Tova begins to transition her job and responsibilities at the aquarium to Cameron. Both Tova and Cameron's past and family come into focus as Cameron searches for his absent father.

Cast

  • Sally Field as Tova Sullivan, the elderly cleaning lady of a Washington state aquarium
    • Meghan Heffern as young Tova
  • Lewis Pullman as Cameron Cassmore[2], a young drifter and member of the band Moth Sausage who gets taken in by Tova
    • Kingston Goodjohn as 9-year-old Cameron
  • Joan Chen as Janice Kim, a member of Tova's knitting club called the Knit-Wits
  • Kathy Baker as Mary Ann Minetti, a member of the Knit-Wits
  • Beth Grant as Barb Vanderhoof, a member of the Knit-Wits
  • Sofia Black-D'Elia as Avery, the proprietor of a surf and paddle shop
  • Laura Harris as Andie, the aunt of Cameron
  • Colm Meaney as Ethan Mack, the proprietor of a Shop-Way grocery store in Sowell Bay
  • Alfred Molina as the voice of Marcellus (uncredited in the end credits' cast list), a Giant Pacific octopus who Tova often interacts with.[2] He serves as the narrator of the film.
  • Donald Sales as Terry, the proprietor of the aquarium
  • Mapuana Makia as Jessica Snell, the owner of Olympus Realty
  • Brandon McEwan as a teenage Erik
    • Miles Marthaller as a 5/6-year-old Erik
  • Anthony Harrison as the Sheriff of Sowell Bay
  • Dan Payne as Adam Wright, a former classmate of Erik
  • Shauna Johannesen as Sandy Wright, the wife of Adam
  • Chris William Martin as Simon Brinks, a known real-estate developer who knew Cameron's mother
  • Michael Delleva as Tanner, a worker at the Shop-Way
  • Noah Craig as Marco, the son of Avery who works at her surf and paddle shop
  • Duncan Fraser as an ex-police officer
  • Andres Joseph as Brad, a friend of Cameron and member of Moth Sausage
  • Katie Findlay as Liz, a friend of Cameron and member of Moth Sausage who is Brad's wife
  • Sasha Craig as Daphne Cassmore, the mother of Cameron who is seen in flashbacks
  • Michael Adamthwaite as a fisherman at a bar who helps Tova get the patrons to listen to Cameron's singing

Production

Netflix announced in August 2024 that they would be adapting Shelby Van Pelt's novel Remarkably Bright Creatures (2022). Olivia Newman had been hired to direct and co-write the screenplay with John Whittington, and Sally Field cast in the lead role as Tova.[3] Additional literary material was written by Katie Silberman.[4] In March 2025, Lewis Pullman, Colm Meaney, Joan Chen, Kathy Baker, Beth Grant, Sofia Black-D'Elia, and Laura Harris joined the cast.[5][6] By May 2025, principal photography had wrapped in Vancouver, Canada, with Ashley Connor serving as the cinematographer.[7]

Marcellus, the octopus who lives in Tova's aquarium, is depicted through a mixture of captured footage and computer-generated imagery (CGI). The production team filmed hours of footage of Agnetha, a Giant Pacific octopus living in the Vancouver Aquarium, and used that footage wherever possible, while the visual effects team created a CGI double of Agnetha for scenes that required specific movements and placement.[8] Alfred Molina voiced Marcellus.[2]

Release

Remarkably Bright Creatures was released on Netflix on May 8, 2026.[9]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 78% of 32 critics' reviews are positive.[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 56 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[11]

Accolades

Award Date of ceremony Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
Gotham TV Awards June 1, 2026 Outstanding Original Film, Broadcast or Streaming Olivia Newman, Peter Craig, David Levine, and Bryan Unkeless Pending [12]
Outstanding Performance in an Original Film Sally Field Pending

References

  1. ^ Newcott, Bill (May 7, 2026). "Review: Remarkably Bright Creatures — Movies for the Rest of Us with Bill Newcott". The Saturday Evening Post. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c Bentley, Jean (March 10, 2026). "Remarkably Bright Creatures Octopus Marcellus Is Voiced by Alfred Molina". Tudum by Netflix. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  3. ^ Kit, Borys (August 14, 2024). "Sally Field, 'Where the Crawdads Sing' Director Olivia Newman Adapting 'Remarkably Bright Creatures' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 17, 2024. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  4. ^ "Remarkably Bright Creatures". Writers Guild of America West. October 31, 2025. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  5. ^ Kit, Borys (March 11, 2025). "Lewis Pullman Joins Sally Field in 'Remarkably Bright Creatures' Adaptation (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
  6. ^ "Joan Chen Joins Netflix's 'Remarkably Bright Creatures' Adaptation Alongside Sally Field". We Are Resonate. March 13, 2025. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
  7. ^ McIlvaine, Brookie (May 6, 2025). "Dive in to Remarkably Bright Creatures With Sally Field and Lewis Pullman". Netflix Tudum. Archived from the original on May 10, 2025. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  8. ^ Cox, Trevor (May 4, 2026). "'Remarkably Bright Creatures' author, director preview Sally Field-starring octopus friendship movie". WTHR. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
  9. ^ Grobar, Matt (January 7, 2026). "Netflix's 2026 Film Slate: Dates For 'War Machine' & Other Titles, New Cast For Animated 'Swapped' Plus First-Look Pics For 'Enola Holmes 3,' More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 7, 2026. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  10. ^ "Remarkably Bright Creatures". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  11. ^ "Remarkably Bright Creatures". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  12. ^ Schneider, Michael (April 28, 2026). "'Pluribus', 'Beef', 'I Love LA', 'Big Mistakes', 'Death by Lightning' Among This Year's Gotham TV Awards Nominees". Variety. Retrieved May 8, 2026.