“Nightingale,” the World War II-era drama that stars Dakota and Elle Fanning in their first film together, is scheduled for a month later, and will take on “Sonic the Hedgehog 4” on March 19. Since this historical drama functions as a subprogram for Sonic, the subsequent dates are perfect territory for college students, especially women, who are on spring break in the run-up to Easter.
The film adaptation of Kristin Hannah’s best-selling novel, directed by Michael Morris (To Leslie) and written by Dana Stevens, was previously scheduled for February 12, but the Valentine’s weekend date also coincides with the Super Bowl.
The Fannings, who are both nominated for Emmy Awards this week, star in “The Nightingales” as sisters who “dart to take separate and dangerous paths in a battle for survival, love and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France” during World War I, according to the official synopsis.
Dakota Fanning was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Anthology Series for “All Her Faults,” and Elle Fanning was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for “Margo’s Got Money Trouble.”
“The Nightingale” co-stars include Douglas Hodge, Mark Rylance, Sheila Haas, Gwilym Lee, Albrecht Schuch, Vignette Robinson and Edmund Donovan. Producers are Elizabeth Cantillon, Dakota Fanning, Elle Fanning, Brittany Kahane Ward, Reese Witherspoon, and Lauren Neustadter. The book’s popularity has hardly waned, and as of 2026, 11 years after it was first published, it has already sold one million copies.
The film was originally scheduled to be directed by Mélanie Laurent, but was postponed due to the pandemic and later revived with Morris directing. Filming took place in Budapest.
