‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’ Trailer: Sally Field and Lewis Pullman Make Friends with a Giant Octopus

"Where the Crawdads Sing" filmmaker Olivia Newman is bringing another smash-hit bestseller to the screen; this time, with a cephalopod star at its center.

If you spend any time at all in your local bookstore (or trolling your library’s Libby app, as this writer is wont to do), at least the cover of Shelby Van Belt’s bestseller sure looks familiar: bright colors, inviting tones, and a calligraphy-inspired font that seems to be just everywhere these days. Inside? A heart-warming story of human and cephalopod connection. Next stop? Your Netflix queue.

Directed by Olivia Newman (who is no stranger to adapting beloved books for the screen, just look at the massive hit her “Where the Crawdads Sing” became) and adapted by Newman and John Whittington, “Remarkably Bright Creatures” follows the unlikely friendship of a trio of misfits. Or, perhaps more succinctly, it’s a film that will offer the chance to watch both Sally Field and Lewis Pullman make close pals with a literally giant octopus.

Per the film’s official synopsis: “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.” The film also stars Colm Meaney, Joan Chen, Kathy Baker, Beth Grant, Sofia Black D’Elia, and Alfred Molina.

Rest assured, the film’s first trailer doesn’t skimp on the eight-legged action, and is primarily narrated by Molina as Marcellus, the octopus at the heart of the story. Fans of the book will likely be thrilled by that bit, as it’s Marcellus who tells most of the story in the book, a wry and quite smart creature with plenty to say about the world around him. And, yes, most of that world comes to consist of Tova and Cameron, who Marcellus brings together in ways both expected and surprising.

Will an octopus make you cry when the film arrives on the streamer later this spring? We’ll give you eight guesses as to that one.

“Remarkably Bright Creatures” will start streaming on Netflix on Friday, May 8. Check out the film’s first trailer below.