Stranger Things and Damsel star Millie Bobby Brown is developing a film adaptation of her bestselling debut novel Nineteen Steps. The actress will produce the feature for Netflix under her PCMA banner, with plans to star.
Oscar-nominee Anthony McCarten — known for his works on The Theory of Everything, Darkest Hour, and The Two Popes — will adapt the screenplay. Jonathan Eirich will produce the film, with Nick Reynolds executive producing.
What is Nineteen Steps about?
Nineteen Steps, co-written by Brown and Kathleen McGurl, is heavily influenced by Brown’s family history during World War II, particularly Ruth — her grandmother — who lived through the 1940s Bethnal Green tube station disaster. The novel was published by William Morrow in 2023.
Per the novel’s synopsis (via Goodreads), Nineteen Steps follows 18-year-old Nellie Morris, who “counts every day lucky that she emerges from the underground shelters unharmed, her loving family still surrounding her. After a chance encounter with Ray, an American airman stationed nearby, Nellie becomes enchanted with the idea of a broader world. Just when Nellie begins to embrace an exciting new life with Ray, a terrible incident occurs during an air raid one evening, tearing Nellie’s world is torn apart. But just when it seems all hope is lost, Nellie finds that, against all odds, love and happiness can triumph.”
Brown, whose early acting credits include Once Upon a Time in Wonderland and Intruders, rose to prominence for starring as Eleven in Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things, which is set to return for its fifth and final season sometime in 2025. She also starred as Madison Russell in 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters and reprised the role in 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong.
Brown also starred in and produced the two Enola Holmes features. Most recently, the actress played Elodie in the dark fantasy movie Damsel, in which she also served as the executive producer.
(Source: Deadline)
