Marc Turtletaub is set to direct a feature film adaptation of British author Ben Reeves’ acclaimed novel Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt, with Oren Moverman attached to write the screenplay. Turtletaub revealed the project during an interview with Deadline ahead of his appearance at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt follows Travis, a quiet man who lives with his cat in a small, gray town and works as a comforting presence for people in the final hours of their lives. He approaches the work without judgment or complaint, maintaining a detached routine centred around helping others through their final moments.
That routine begins to change when Travis meets Dalia, a midwife, and her energetic eight-year-old daughter Layla, who live across the hall. His relationship with the two gradually forces him to look beyond the role he has created for himself and confront what it means to be alive, as well as what can be permanently lost through death.
The screenplay will be written by Oren Moverman, continuing his established creative partnership with Turtletaub. Moverman previously wrote Turtletaub’s 2018 feature Puzzle and also wrote his upcoming film Borges and Me. Turtletaub has described Moverman as a close friend and highlighted their ongoing working relationship while discussing the new project.
Reeves’ novel has already generated significant attention in the literary world. The book debuted on the New York Times Best Sellers list in its first week of release, giving the film adaptation an established literary profile even before production begins.
Reeves has described Travis as “the personification of death”, while also characterising the novel as a deeply life-affirming story. The book moves through the lives of the people Travis encounters during their final moments, using those encounters to explore mortality while maintaining a sense of warmth.
The novel has also received praise from established authors. Matthew Quick described the book as an experience that made him fall in love with the idea of human impermanence, while Jodi Picoult praised it as a beautifully written exploration of what it means to be alive.
Turtletaub discovered the novel shortly after its publication and was drawn to its immediate reception. Speaking about the project, he pointed to its first-week appearance on the New York Times bestseller list as an indication of why he considered the material special.
The adaptation will be Turtletaub’s next directorial project following Borges and Me, which marks his first feature as a director since 2023’s Jules.
Borges and Me follows a young graduate student at the University of St Andrews who embarks on a journey through the Scottish Highlands with legendary Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges. The film stars Fionn Whitehead and Luis Gnecco, with a supporting cast that includes Alan Cumming, Freya Mavor, John Gordon Sinclair, Morven Christie, Peter Mullan and Stuart Bowman.
The timing of the announcement also coincides with the Edinburgh International Film Festival, where Borges and Me is scheduled to debut on August 15. The 2026 edition of the festival runs through August 19.
Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt therefore brings together two filmmakers with an existing creative history and a literary property that has already established a strong readership. Turtletaub’s previous work as a director has included character-driven stories, while Moverman’s screenplay credits provide another established connection between the filmmaker and the new adaptation.
At this stage, details regarding the film’s cast, production schedule, distributor, budget and release date have not been announced. The confirmed creative team consists of Turtletaub as director and Moverman as screenwriter.
With a bestselling novel at its centre and Turtletaub reuniting with Moverman, Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt becomes the filmmaker’s next major literary adaptation following Borges and Me. The project is now moving into development, with further details expected as the adaptation progresses.
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