Sentry Actor’s New Mystery Movie Coming To Netflix Very Soon

A new Netflix movie, starring Sentry actor Lewis Pullman, will premiere on the streaming platform next month. Based on a popular, heartwarming fantasy novel, the story centers on an unlikely bond between a grieving elderly widow and an octopus at the aquarium where she works.

Remarkably Bright Creatures arriving on Netflix soon

Remarkably Bright Creatures will stream on Netflix from Friday, May 8, 2026. The streamer announced the release date in a teaser last month. A full trailer is expected to be released sometime in the coming weeks.

The story follows Tova Sullivan, an elderly widow, who works the night shift at an aquarium and continues to grieve about the mysterious disappearance of her son decades ago. Tova starts to feel less lonely after befriending Marcellus, a highly intelligent Pacific octopus. Marcellus, who has been paying attention to everything happening outside his tank, pieces together clues that help Tova understand her son’s fate.

The movie is based on Shelby Van Pelt’s 2022 novel of the same name. Olivia Newman, known for Where the Crawdads Sing, directed the Netflix movie and wrote its screenplay alongside John Whittington. It stars Lewis Pullman as Cameron and Sally Field as Tova in the lead roles, while Alfred Molina voices Marcellus.

Interestingly, Van Pelt conceived the story from a YouTube video. After watching videos of “naughty octopuses” escaping captivity, she developed Marcellus’s character (via Tudum). As for Tova, the author reportedly based it on her own grandmother.

“Beyond Marcellus, Remarkably Bright Creatures is a story of love and grief,” Van Pelt told Tudum. “Those are two emotions that everyone who walks this planet feels at some point, so the themes are very widely resonant. There’s just a wide range of ages and generations and characters that people can enjoy together.”

In an interview with PEOPLE, Field spoke highly about working with Pullman. “Not only is he just a dazzlingly wonderful actor and funny and talented in every way… to me, he just was this character. We just started improvising instantly and having fun with it, and laughing. And we were almost uncontainable. He’s just so easy to be with and work with.”

Source: Comingsoon.net