One of the most hotly anticipated films of the year, Where the Crawdads Sing is set to bring Delia Owens’ 2018 novel to life on the big screen.
The novel quickly topped the fiction best seller charts, where it stayed for 32 non-consecutive weeks. If you didn’t hear about it via word of mouth, it’s likely you did when Reese Witherspoon selected it for her Hello Sunshine Book Club in September 2018, or when she decided to produce the film adaptation.
The novel is beloved by many, and now, the film is nearly here.
Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, a newly minted household name, thanks to the 2020 adaptation of Sally Rooney‘s Normal People, the film is set to captivate audiences. Even better, it has the official Taylor Swift seal of approval. In fact, Swift loved the book so much that when she heard about the film adaptation, she wrote “Carolina” and took it to them.
From cast details, to filming locations and whether Swift will be eligible for an Oscar, here’s everything we know so far about Where the Crawdads Sing.
Who Is Starring In Where the Crawdads Sing?
Taking the lead role of Kya is Daisy Edgar-Jones. Edgar-Jones first made a name for herself starring in Cold Feet, but it was the 2020 adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel Normal People that cemented her as a household name. Meanwhile, Little Kya will be played by Jojo Regina, with this being her first major film role.
Also starring in the film are:
- Joe Chrest as Dr. Cone
- Garret Dillahunt as Pa
- Harris Dickinson as Chase Andrews
- Taylor John Smith as Tate Walker
- David Strathairn as Tom Milton
- Eric Ladin as Eric Chastain
- Ahna O’Reilly as Ma
- Michael Hyatt as Mabel
- Charlie Talbert as Mr. Mosley
- Logan Macrae as Jodie
- Jayson Warner Smith as Deputy Joe Purdue
- Victoria Paige Watkins as Young Kala
- Luke David Blumm as Little Tate
- Sterling Macer Jr. as Jumpin
- Bill Kelly as Sheriff Jackson, and
- Caroline Cole as Always Wears Pearls
Who Directed Where the Crawdads Sing?
Olivia Newman directed the film adaptation of Where the Crawdads Sing. Prior to this, her most notable directing credit was the Netflix film First Match, and next on her list is an as-yet-untitled film about Roe Vs Wade.
Who Wrote the Screenplay for Where the Crawdads Sing?
Lucy Alibar is credited for writing the adapted screenplay of Where the Crawdads Sing, which is of course based on the novel by Delia Owens. Owens is credited for the story.
What Is the Plot of Where the Crawdads Sing?
The film’s official logline is: “A woman who raised herself in the marshes of the deep South becomes a suspect in the murder of a man she was once involved with.”
Is There a Trailer For Where the Crawdads Sing?
There is, and you can watch it right here:
Will Taylor Swift Be Eligible for a Best Original Song Oscar for “Carolina”?
It’s the question of the hour, isn’t it? Will Blondie be able to pull out an Oscar win, and get herself one step closer to a coveted EGOT?
Per the Academy Awards eligibility criteria:
“An original song consists of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the motion picture. There must be a clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition (not necessarily visually presented) of both lyric and melody, used in the body of the motion picture or as the first music cue in the end credits.”
Swift’s new song “Carolina” was written especially for Where the Crawdads Sing, which would make it eligible in that sense, as it’s not on any of her previous albums.
Given that the film has been promoting Swift’s new song heavily throughout its publicity for the film thus far, it’s very safe to assume that “Carolina” will also meet the criteria for being “a clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition” of the song, as well. After all, Sony wouldn’t want to waste their chance of an Oscar nod, either!
While we have yet to see the film and how the song is used within it, it’s safe to assume that yes, Swift will be eligible for an Oscar when the time comes for nominations to be announced. You can listen to “Carolina” below:
Is Where the Crawdads Sing Based on a True Story?
The short answer? No, Where the Crawdads Sing is not based on a true story, it’s based on the Delia Owens novel of the same name, which was published in 2018.
The longer answer? While it’s not based on a true story, Owens was indeed connected to a real-life murder back in 1995, alongside her husband Mark Owens.
Although Delia was never directly suspected of murdering anyone herself, the couple were both wanted for questioning in regards to an unsolved murder of an alleged African poacher in Zambia.
The case garnered a lot of attention and was even the subject of an 18,000-word investigative feature published in the New Yorker, which you can read here.
Where Was Where the Crawdads Sing Filmed?
Despite the novel and film being firmly set in North Carolina, Where the Crawdads Sing filmed primarily in the US state of Louisiana.
The fishing village of Barkley Cove was recreated in downtown Houma, Louisiana, with production completely transforming Lafayette Street to fit the 1960s era that the film is based in.
Meanwhile, Kya’s main home, the marshes of North Caroline, were filmed around the banks of Lake Pontchartrain. They filmed in both Fontainebleau and Fairview-Riverside State Parks, which are located in Mandeville and Madisonville.
Of course, the film’s overarching plot takes place in the court room, and in real life, this was shot in the Historic St. Bernard Parish Courthouse, aka the Beauregard Courthouse, in Chalmette.
Where Can I Watch Where the Crawdads Sing?
Where the Crawdads Sing will be a theatrical release. No word just yet on when this one will hit streaming!
When Will Where the Crawdads Sing Be Released in Australia?
Where the Crawdads Sing is HOYTS cinemas now.
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