TriStar’s “The Nightingale,” starring Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning, will hit theaters on Dec. 25, Sony announced on Monday.
In December, TheWrap exclusively reported that Mélanie Laurent (“Galveston”) would direct from a script by Dana Stevens. Elizabeth Cantillon is producing through her production company The Cantillon Company. The two sisters will unite for the first time on-screen to play sisters. It will be based on Kristin Hannah’s worldwide bestseller of the same name.
“The Nightingale” follows two sisters coming of age in France on the eve of World War II and tells the story or their struggle to survive the German occupation of France. The story is inspired by the courageous women of the French Resistance who helped downed Allied airmen escape Nazi-occupied territory and hid Jewish children.
Hannah’s book became a hit after it was published in 2015. It has since been published in 45 languages and sold more than 3.5 million copies in the U.S. alone. It has become #1 New York Times best-seller and spent a total of 114 weeks on the New York Times Bestsellers List. It was also named the best book of the year by BuzzFeed, iTunes, Library Journal, The Wall Street Journal, Goodreads, and others.
Currently, the other films opening on Dec. 25 are Universal’s “News of the World,” starring Tom Hanks, and Paramount’s “The Tomorrow War,” starring Chris Pratt and Betty Gilpin.