A four-part limited series adaptation of “All the Light We Cannot See” from Shawn Levy and Steven Knight has been ordered to series at Netflix, the streaming service said Wednesday.
Based on Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller of the same name, “All the Light We Cannot See” tells the story of Marie-Laure, a teenager who is blind, and Werner, a German soldier, whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.
The show has been in development at Netflix since 2019, with Levy, who is best known for his work on Netflix’s “Stranger Things” and “Shadow and Bone,” attached throughout the entire process.
No cast has been announced yet, but per Netflix, “Levy and producers are announcing a worldwide casting search for the lead role of teenage Marie-Laure. Actresses who are blind or low vision are especially encouraged to apply. Those interested can apply by emailing lucybevancasting@gmail.com.”
Netflix’s “All the Light We Cannot See” will be written by Knight (“Peaky Blinders”) with Levy (“Stranger Things”) set to direct all episodes. Levy and Knight will both executive produce, along with Dan Levine and Josh Barry of Levy’s 21 Laps Entertainment production banner. Joe Strechay will serve as associate producer and blindness and accessibility consultant.
“All The Light We Cannot See” was published in 2014 and has received wide critical acclaim, along with winning both a Pulitzer Prize in 2015 and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction in 2015. The book spent more than 200 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list and has sold more than 5.7 million copies in North America across print, e-book and audio formats, and another 9.5 million copies worldwide.