TriStar Pictures has moved The Nightingale from February 12 to March 19, 2027. The shift places Dakota and Elle Fanning in the two weeks before Easter weekend, a date the studio sees as underserved by films targeting women. Paramount's Sonic the Hedgehog 4 also opens March 19. TriStar is banking on counter-programming.
The film adapts Kristin Hannah's 2015 novel, which has sold over 11 million copies worldwide. TriStar acquired the rights the same year the book was published. Dakota and Elle Fanning produce through Lewellen Pictures alongside Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter of Hello Sunshine, Elizabeth Cantillon, and Brittany Kahan Ward. Michael Morris directs from a screenplay by Dana Stevens.
The story follows two sisters separated during World War II as they attempt to survive in occupied France and Germany. The supporting cast includes Mark Rylance, Shira Haas, Albrecht Schuch, Douglas Hodge, and Edmund Donovan.
The date move arrives in a notable week for both actresses. Elle Fanning received an Emmy nomination for lead comedy actress for Margo's Got Money Troubles. Dakota Fanning received a nomination for supporting actress in All Her Fault. Their parallel television recognition, converging on the same week their first theatrical collaboration is being repositioned for a bigger moment, is the kind of industry alignment that tends to go unremarked.