The Good Nurse - What We Know So Far
A new crime drama film is making its way to Netflix this fall. The upcoming film is titled "The Good Nurse" and is based on the terrifying true story of Charlie Cullen, a nurse who was found to have killed a high number of his patients. The film, which was initially announced back in 2016, was originally going to be distributed by Lionsgate before Netflix bought the rights for $25 million in early 2020 (via Deadline).
"The Good Nurse" was directed by Tobias Lindholm, whose directing credits include 2015's "A War" and the 2020 miniseries "The Investigation" (per IMDb). Lindholm is also known for co-writing the Oscar-winning 2020 film "Another Round," amongst others. Meanwhile, the script was written by Krysty Wilson-Cairns who previously co-wrote 2019's "1917" and 2021's "Last Night in Soho," according to IMDb. FilmNation produced the movie alongside Darren Aronofsky's film company Protozoa Pictures.
Here's what else we know about "The Good Nurse" — including the release date, cast, and plot.
What is the plot of The Good Nurse?
"The Good Nurse" follows Amy (Jessica Chastain), a nurse who is struggling to take care of her kids as a single mother while dealing with her own health condition. She then meets a fellow nurse, the empathetic Charlie Cullen (Eddie Redmayne), who she becomes fast friends with. Their friendship allows for Amy's life to feel manageable once again and, for the first time in a while, she manages to feel hopeful about her and her kids' futures (via TIFF). But then a string of mysterious deaths begin occurring in the hospital and before long, signs are pointing to Charlie for being responsible, with the investigation being led by local homicide detectives Danny Baldwin (Nnamdi Asomugha) and Tim Braun (Noah Emmerich).
The film is based on the true story of Charles Cullen, a former nurse who is confirmed to have killed 29 of his patients — although the actual number is estimated by experts to be over 300 (via New York Magazine).
Who is starring in The Good Nurse?
The two leading roles in "The Good Nurse" are played by Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne. Some of Chastain's recent projects include the 2021 HBO miniseries "Scenes from a Marriage," which earned her a Golden Globe nomination, and the 2021 biopic "The Eyes of Tammy Faye," which earned her an Academy Award win. Additionally, she starred in 2022's "The 355" and has several upcoming projects, including "Armageddon Time" (via IMDb). Meanwhile, Redmayne's most recent films include 2022's "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" (as well as the first two films of the series, which came out in 2016 and 2018) and 2020's "The Trial of the Chicago 7" (per IMDb).
Additionally, in April 2021, it was announced that Noah Emmerich and Kim Dickens had joined the cast of "The Good Nurse" (via Deadline). "The Americans" actor Emmerich has most recently appeared in a slew of television series, including "Dark Winds," "Suspicion" and "Space Force," as noted by IMDb. Dickens, who is most known for her leading role in "Fear the Walking Dead," has most recently appeared in films "The In Between" and "Land" as well as the TV series "Briarpatch" (via IMDb).
According to the film's IMDb page, the cast is rounded out by Nnamdi Asomugha, Malik Yoba, Ajay Naidu, Marcia Jean Kurtz, and Brooke Stacy Mills, amongst others.
What's the release date of The Good Nurse?
"The Good Nurse" will be released on Netflix on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, as reported by Netflix. Additionally, the film will also be released to select theaters on October 19.
According to Backstage, the movie began filming in mid-April 2021 in Stamford, Connecticut just as more cast members were announced to have joined the project. After filming wrapped up, Netflix gave a (very brief) first look into the film in February 2022 when it was included in the 2022 Movie Preview — you can catch a glimpse of stars Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne in the preview video.
Ahead of its official release, "The Good Nurse" was shown at the Toronto Film Festival on September 11. In a press conference at TIFF, Chastain shared her feelings about the project. "The thing I liked so much about the film is that we see so often films about a serial killer or a story and it's fetishized," Chastain said, per Deadline. "You'd see him injecting the bags and I've always felt a little dirty watching that stuff. I don't wanna celebrate or have the media glorify what happened to another human being. I wanna celebrate humanity, which is why I was excited about this."
Is there a trailer for The Good Nurse?
Netflix released the trailer for "The Good Nurse" in early September, ahead of the film's October 26 release date. The trailer begins with Charlie (Eddie Redmayne) arriving at a diner where Amy (Jessica Chastain) is waiting to meet him. After he shuts down any talk about work, Amy asks, "Is it because what they're saying is true?" We then see clips of Amy confiding in Charlie alongside Amy struggling with money. Then, Amy is seen speaking to detectives who remind Amy of a recent mysterious death of a patient, before asking her if she thinks Charlie could be involved. It turns out that similar cases — in which the deceased patients are found with too much insulin in their systems — have occurred at other hospitals where Charlie has worked. We then see Amy digging into Charlie's past, including visiting past hospitals that he has worked at, to try to determine if he's responsible for the growing number of mysterious deaths in various hospitals.
At the end of the trailer, it's revealed that, in the first shot of the trailer at the diner, Amy is actually wearing a wire — implying that the detectives are hoping Charlie will confess his crimes to Amy.