Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie have been cast in All The Light We Cannot See, the Netflix limited series adaptation of Anthony Doerr‘s 2014 novel. The four-episode series takes place in WWII, and will focus on Marie-Laure (Aria Mia Loberti), a blind teenager whose path collides with Werner, a German soldier, as they both try to survive the devastation in occupied France.
Like her character, Loberti is blind herself. Ruffalo will play Daniel LeBlanc, Marie-Laure’s father, a caring and clever man who tries to protect his daughter while also giving her independence. He is also trying to protect the secret gem they carry from Nazi occupation.
Laurie will play Etienne LeBlanc, who is described as an eccentric and reclusive World War I hero suffering from PTSD. He clandestinely records radio broadcasts as part of the French Resistance.
Shawn Levy will direct the series, which might seem like a slightly left field choice considering he’s better known for more light-hearted films such as the recent Free Guy and the Night At The Museum series. However, he has also directed episodes of Stranger Things, arguably Netflix’s biggest series, so the streamer likely has plenty of faith in him.
Peaky Blinders writer Steven Knight will write the series. He also penned Apple TV+’s See and last year’s Princess Diana biopic, Spencer.
Levy and Knight will also serve as executive producers on the show along with Dan Levine and Josh Barry, while Joe Strechay will be an associate producer and blindness and accessibility consultant.
Doerr’s novel won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, so there should be plenty of interest around the series adaptation. No release date has yet been announced.
Ruffalo can next be seen in The Adam Project, which is not only a Netflix film, but is also directed by Levy. That premieres Friday, March 11.
He’s also currently filming Yorgos Lanthimos‘ likely oddity Poor Things. Laurie currently stars in Armando Iannucci‘s HBO sci-fi comedy Avenue 5, and was recently seen leading four-part BBC thriller Roadkill.
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