After years of anticipation, fans of Kristin Hannah’s bestselling novelThe Nightingaleare still asking the same question: Is the long-awaited movie adaptation actually happening? TriStar first announced it had optioned a screen adaptation ofThe Nightingalein 2015, and since then, the potential film has experienced numerous delays, including changes in production teams, scheduling conflicts, and a global pandemic.
With such a beloved story at its core, a gripping tale of two sisters navigating love, loss, and survival during the German occupation of France in World War II, expectations forthe WW2 movieadaptation have remained sky-high.
The project generated buzz not only for its emotional depth but also for its powerful themes of resilience and resistance. It also had some A-list talent attached, withreal-life sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning attached to play Vianne and Isabelle, the sisters in the book.
However, with shifting timelines and a lack of recent updates, many are left wondering ifThe Nightingalewill ever make it to the big screen. If you’re one of the many readers eager to see this emotional wartime story brought to life, here’s where the project stands today.
The Nightingale Is Officially Confirmed And Dated
At long last,The Nightingalehas been re-dated and is moving forward. As of July 22, TriStar hasscheduledThe Nightingalefor release on August 19, 2025. Michael Morris (To Leslie) will direct from a script written by Dana Stevens (The Woman King). Dakota and Elle Fanning are still attached to star.
AlthoughThe Nightingalewas once officially confirmed as a major film adaptation of the novel,its production journey has been riddled with delays. Momentum built quickly after TriStar was initially attached to the film in 2015, with screenwriter Ann Peacock (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) set to pen the script and Elizabeth Cantillon (Concussion) producing (viaDeadline).
This changed in 2016, when Michelle MacLaren (Game of Thrones) was attached to not only direct but rewrite the script with John Sayles. MacLaren left the project shortly afterward, but in 2017, TriStar still announced thatThe Nightingalewould be released on June 26, 2025. In 2019, Mélanie Laurent (The Mad Women’s Ball) signed on to direct the adaptation with a script from Stevens, and Dakota and Elle Fanning set to star.
However, like many Hollywood projects,The Nightingalewas significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The original release date was pushed back to July 01, 2025. Then, in April 2020, the film was briefly taken off of TriStar’s calendar before being given a new release date of June 01, 2025.
In 2021,The Nightingale’s release date was pushed back yet again to August 06, 2025. However, Laurent was candid about the challenges of getting the film production together, tellingCollider, “It’s super hard for us to find another date and to make everybody on board at the same time, so it’s a mess.”
Since then, updates have been sparse, with the only update of note being in 2023, when Elle Fanning said she wanted the project to continue. However,the latest update finally gets the project back on trackand suggests that finally, it will come to fruition.
The Nightingale Cast
Dakota & Elle Fanning Attached To Play The Two Main Sisters
In 2019, it was revealed thatDakota and Elle Fanning would portray the lead characters, Vianne and Isabelle(viaTHR), and that update still holds. The film will mark the first time the two actors will star together on-screen.
Though the new update doesn’t specifically list their characters, it was previously reported that Elle will play Isabelle Rossignol, the fierce and rebellious younger sister, while Dakota is Vianne Mauriac, the more reserved older sister trying to protect her family during the Nazi occupation of France.
The Nightingalecast:
Beyond the Fanning sisters,no other cast members have been officially confirmed. With production delays stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and a long period of silence regarding updates, it’s unclear if the previously announced cast is still attached to the project. In the July 2025 announcement, no other cast members were confirmed.
The Nightingale Story
The Movie Will Likely Follow The Novel’s Story
The Nightingalewill undoubtedly follow the powerful and emotional storylineof its namesake novel, which has captivated readers worldwide. Set in France during World War II, the story centers on two estranged sisters, Vianne Mauriac and Isabelle Rossignol, whose lives are forever changed by the Nazi occupation.
Vianne lives a quiet life in the countryside with her daughter while her husband is away fighting in the war. When German forces invade, her home is requisitioned by a Nazi officer, forcing her to make unthinkable choices to protect her family. Meanwhile, Isabelle, bold and impulsive, joins the French Resistance and risks everything to help downed Allied pilots escape Nazi territory, earning the codename “The Nightingale."
The novel explores the complexities of love, loyalty, and survival under the most harrowing circumstances.It delves into themes of female courage in wartime, the strength of family bonds, and the ways women fight in quiet and revolutionary ways.
If adapted faithfully, the film would weave both sisters’ stories — Vianne’s quiet endurance and Isabelle’s defiant heroism — into a moving portrait of resistance and sacrifice. Given the novel’s emotional weight and historical backdrop,The Nightingalehas the potential to become a heartbreaking cinematic experience, if not one of thebest World War II movies.
