You may have heard of Netflix’s upcoming All The Light We Cannot See adaptation (it’ll be a limited series, not a movie) or maybe you’re just wondering what’s the progress of any movie/film adaptation of it in the works. Here’s what we know:
What’s it about?
All The Light We Cannot See is a work of literary fiction by Anthony Doerr. Set in France in the German-occupied town of Saint-Malo, the story follows intertwining stories of two teenagers during World War II. Marie-Laure is a young, blind French girl, forced to navigate the world alone. Werner is an engineering prodigy who grows up in an orphanage.
See The Bibliofile’s review of the book and a detailed summary of the plot.
All The Light We Cannot See was originally released in May 2014 and came in at #10 on the bestseller lists. By December, it had moved to the top as it gained recognition as one of the best books of the year.
It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in early 2015, and All The Light We Cannot See ended up as a fixture on the bestseller lists for a total of 130 weeks.
What format will it be?
It’s planned as a limited series. This means there’ll be a set amount of episodes. The number of episodes planned for All The Light We Cannot See is currently unknown.
Who’s behind it?
As reported on May 10, 2019, Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps production company will be helming the project as part of their production agreement with Netflix. 21 Laps is the production company behind Stranger Things and Arrival.
Dan Levine, Shawn Levy, and Josh Barry will serve as executive producers. No scriptwriter(s) has been announced yet.
21 Laps’s Shawn Levy Developing All The Light for Netflix
The project is still in its very early stages, and Shawn Levy has a lot more on his plate, so it may be a while before much news comes out on this front. Along with a whole host of other shows, Levy is also producing the highly-anticipated Shadow and Bone Netflix series which will bring Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse to life.
Back in April 2015, the film rights to All the Light We Cannot See were originally acquired by 20th Century Fox (and then transitioned to Fox Searchlight shortly thereafter), but that project seemed to have fizzled. That incarnation of it was headed up by Scott Rudin (No Country For Old Men, The Social Network) and Eli Bush. It’s not known how far that original project got, but they had been pursuing a number of high-profile writers and directors for it. It doesn’t seem like that ever materialized, as no scriptwriter/director was ever announced.
Who’s in the cast?
No casting details have been released yet.
When will it be released?
Currently unknown. It’s a bit early for that.
Is there a trailer or teaser available?
Not yet! Stay tuned.
All The Light We Cannot See Movie / Series Development Timeline
May 6, 2014 All The Light We Cannot See (novel) is released.
April 1, 2015 All The Light We Cannot See is optioned for film by Scott Rudin and Eli Bush at 20th Century Fox (and transitioned to Fox Searchlight).
April 20, 2015 All The Light We Cannot See wins the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
May 10, 2019 Deadline reports that Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps is developing All The Light We Cannot See as a limited series to be available on Netflix.
i’m so excited for this show, I loved this book
I did too, I thought it was lovely :) 📚👍
Exciting! Such a great novel. I’m sure, with a deft touch, that this will make for a canny series.
for sure, it looks like this guy has a pretty good track record so I’m (cautiously) optimistic
I really enjoyed the book. Hoping they do it justice.
me too! I’m hopeful :)
I absolutely loved this book… hopefully they do it justice!!
I totally agree! and yeah I hope they find a way to capture the elegance of doerr’s words! :)
Looking forward to this, although the story has such an incredible arc and momentum to it I am disappointed to hear it will be a limited series, rather than a feature-length film one can view in one sitting on the big screen.
Never got to read the book, I might just watch the series!
I think you should read the book. The writing itself is a work of art, much more than the story, which is touching. But the art of the language will be lost in the screenplay and the language is what makes this book so incredibly beautiful. Not one word is out of place, nor is there an extra word anywhere. As near to perfection as a written piece of art can be.
Where can I watch the movie, All the Light We Cannot See?
I have read the book and it is one of my favorites. Where can I see the movie?
What a difficult task. To do justice to Anthony Doerr’s writing in another medium. He is an amazing writer and I look forward to seeing how Netflix does this. Oh, to have a mere bit of his talent and skill.
What is the update on this book being shown as a movie or series ?