“I’m not really sure what to do. Definitely not the news I was hoping for, but I had a feeling.”
Shelby Van Pelt’s bestselling novel Remarkably Bright Creatures is becoming a Netflix film, and the details emerging so far suggest the adaptation will stay close to the book that turned a giant Pacific octopus into one of recent fiction’s most beloved narrators.
Here’s what we know about the release date, cast, director, and the creative choices shaping the movie.
Release Date and Director
Netflix’s film adaptation of Remarkably Bright Creatures is set for release on May 8. Olivia Newman is directing. Newman previously directed Where the Crawdads Sing, giving her direct experience translating a beloved, atmospheric novel to the screen. That track record — balancing a book’s literary identity with cinematic storytelling — is relevant here, and her selection suggests Netflix is treating the source material with care.
Alfred Molina Voices Marcellus the Octopus
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For anyone who has read the novel, the most pressing question about any adaptation is simple: How do you translate Marcellus to the screen? Van Pelt’s giant Pacific octopus narrator — wry, curmudgeonly, deeply observant — drives the book. His chapters are what elevate the story from a quiet coastal mystery into something genuinely singular.
The teaser for the movie, released on March 10, answered at least part of that question. Marcellus the octopus will be voiced by Alfred Molina. The coincidence is almost too perfect: Molina played Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2 back in 2004.
In the teaser, Marcellus delivers a line that will land with particular resonance for readers: “Humans, for the most part, are dull and blundering. But occasionally, you can be remarkably bright creatures.”
The decision to give Marcellus a literal voice — rather than using text on screen or internal narration — is a significant creative choice. It signals that the filmmakers intend to keep Marcellus front and center as a character, not merely a narrative device.
Sally Field as the Widow at the Aquarium
Oscar-winning actress Sally Field will star as the cleaning lady at the aquarium who forms the unlikely bond with Marcellus. Readers of the novel will recognize this as Tova, the widow whose quiet grief and stubborn decency make her one of the most moving figures in the book.
Netflix provided an official logline for the film:
“A widow who works at a local aquarium finds joy again when she forms an unlikely bond with a Giant Pacific Octopus and a wayward young man who comes to town in search of family. Together, they will uncover a mystery that will lead them to a life-changing discovery and restore their sense of wonder. Based on the best-selling book.”
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The Full Ensemble Cast
Beyond Field and Molina, Netflix has confirmed a robust ensemble. Lewis Pullman is among the cast, alongside Colm Meaney, Kathy Baker, Beth Grant, Sofia Black and Joan Chen.
The breadth of the ensemble suggests the filmmakers intend to honor the novel’s full gallery of characters rather than narrowing the story to a single plotline. For readers who spent time with these characters, matching the faces to the figures who inhabited their imagination is half the fun.
How Shelby Van Pelt Created Marcellus
Van Pelt’s account of how she created Marcellus sheds light on what made the character work on the page — and what the filmmakers will need to capture on screen.
“It really started for me watching octopus videos on the internet, which is a wonderful way to pass the time if you’ve never gone down that particular rabbit hole,” Van Pelt told NPR in May 2022. “Watching them, they’re trying to escape. They get into all sorts of antics because they’re just bored. I just really felt like there was a character in there, the frustration that an animal must feel when it almost must feel kind of superior to the beings that have captured it.”
She elaborated on the intellectual spark behind Marcellus’s personality: “Octopuses are incredibly intelligent. We don’t quite know the limits of how intelligent they are or could be because it’s just such a different type of intelligence from what we as humans and mammals are used to. That’s where the curmudgeonliness really started for me. It’s kind of just a funny premise: ‘Gosh, that guy must be so grumpy if he’s trapped in there.’”
That origin story — an author watching octopus videos and imagining the irritation of a creature far too clever for its tank — helps explain why Marcellus isn’t whimsical for the sake of it. His voice is rooted in Van Pelt’s genuine fascination with octopus intelligence and behavior.
