Olivia Newman continues her ascent as Hollywood's premier literary adaptation director, proving Netflix's bet on her talent was spot-on after Bright Creatures dominated Mother's Day viewership. The studio gets its A-team back together with producers Bryan Unkeless and Peter Craig for what promises to be another awards-contending weepie.
Insiders reveal Netflix fought off multiple suitors in a heated bidding war for Daanje's novel, which dropped last year and immediately became a critics' darling. Translation: this wasn't a cheap acquisition. With Bright Creatures already generating viral TikTok crying videos and hitting #1 on Mother's Day weekend, Newman has the leverage to make this her most ambitious project yet.
The Remembered Soldier was published last year by New Vessel Press and earned National Book Award finalist status while landing on the International Booker Prize longlist. It also secured spots on NYT's 100 Notable Books of 2025, WSJ's 10 Best Books of 2025, Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2025 list, and won the 2026 Republic of Consciousness Prize.
Newman is proving she's not a one-hit wonder—her third adaptation with Unkeless cements their creative partnership as one of streaming's most reliable dramatic forces. But the real story? Netflix paid premium dollar to lock this down before anyone else could, which means expectations—and pressure—are sky-high.
Netflix just pulled off a major acquisition, securing the rights to Anjet Daanje's critically lauded novel The Remembered Soldier in what sources describe as a heated bidding war. The streaming giant is reteaming with Olivia Newman—the filmmaker behind their current weepie sensation Remarkably Bright Creatures—to write and direct the adaptation, Deadline can confirm. The Dutch historical novel, set in the aftermath of the First World War, follows a shell-shocked veteran suffering from amnesia who has no memory of his life before the war.
His world collides with Julienne Coppens, a woman who arrives claiming him as her husband—a photographer named Amand she lost years ago. The tension crackles from that central question: is she telling the truth? As they build a life together in the fog of his fractured memory, themes of identity, longing, and the aching human need to be known drive what reviewers have called a devastating love story.
Newman's involvement marks her fourth book adaptation as director and second as writer. She's already proven herself with Sony's 2022 drama Where the Crawdads Sing, but it's Bright Creatures that's currently dominating conversations—and apparently making viewers ugly-cry into their tissues. The film, which adapts Shelby Van Pelt's best-selling novel starring Sally Field, dropped Friday and rocketed into Netflix's top 10 within three days.
By Mother's Day, it was the number one movie on the platform, spawning viral TikTok videos of emotional viewers sharing their tear-streaked reactions. This will be Newman's third collaboration with producer Bryan Unkeless, who she worked with on her feature debut—the wrestling drama First Match. Both Newman and Daanje's deals were negotiated through their respective representation: WME, Untitled Entertainment, and Jackoway Austen for Newman; Hotchkiss Daily & Associates (on behalf of Uitgeverij Passage and New Vessel) for Daanje.
Gregory Cohen of Night Owl Stories will executive produce. The novel's credentials are substantial. Published last year by New Vessel Press, The Remembered Soldier earned National Book Award finalist status and an International Booker Prize longlist placement.
Critics took notice immediately: it landed on the New York Times' 100 Notable Books of 2025, Wall Street Journal's 10 Best Books of 2025, Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2025 list, among other year-end accolades. It also recently won the 2026 Republic of Consciousness Prize. With those kind of credentials and Netflix's resources behind her, Newman has everything she needs to deliver another devastating adaptation—or face the pressure of following up a surprise hit during awards season buzz. Either way, start prepping the tissues now.
