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Alfred Molina goes from Doctor Octopus to actual octopus as the voice of a sentient sea creature in Netflix's new movie about an eccentric aquarium

George Marston2026-04-08Drama Movies
Alfred Molina goes from Doctor Octopus to actual octopus as the voice of a sentient sea creature in Netflix's new movie about an eccentric aquarium

Alfred Molina goes from Doctor Octopus to actual octopus as the voice of a sentient sea creature in Netflix's new movie about an eccentric aquarium

News
By George Marston published 8 April 2026

Doctor Octopus no more! Alfred Molina is now a full-on mollusk in new Netflix drama Remarkably Bright Creatures

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Marcellus, an octopus voiced by Alfred Molina, lounging in his tank
(Image credit: Netflix)
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Alfred Molina became a movie icon as Spider-Man's arch-enemy Doctor Octopus, and he must have really liked having extra limbs because he's now turning into a literal octopus in Netflix's new drama Remarkably Bright Creatures.

In Remarkably Bright Creatures, Molina voices Marcellus, a sentient octopus who resides in an aquarium where he watches human life unfold, surreptitiously influencing their behavior. You can hear Molina's Marcellus voice throughout Netflix's new trailer for the movie, seen below:

Remarkably Bright Creatures | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube Remarkably Bright Creatures | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube
Watch On

Here's the official logline for Remarkably Bright Creatures: "Based on the bestselling phenomenon by Shelby Van Pelt comes the story of Tova, a widow who forms an unlikely friendship with the curmudgeonly Marcellus - a giant pacific octopus that lives at the aquarium where she works. Unbeknownst to Tova, Marcellus is on a mission to solve a mystery that will heal the widow’s heart and lead her to a life-changing discovery."

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Tova is played by legendary actor Sally Field, who forms a maternal bond with Lewis Pullman, her new protege in her job as the custodian of an aquarium where Marcellus the octopus lives. Colm Meaney rounds out the main cast.

Octopi and some other cephalopods are indeed surprisingly intelligent, with the scope of their awareness and problem solving skills still being studied by science.

Human understanding of the extent of octopus intelligence has become highly publicized in recent years thanks to the acclaimed documentary My Octopus Teacher, which focuses on filmmaker and activist Craig Foster's ongoing interactions with a particular wild cephalopod.

Remarkably Bright Creatures premieres on Netflix on May 8. For more, check out the best movies to watch on Netflix right now.

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CATEGORIES
George Marston
George Marston
Entertainment Writer

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011, and now I'm the Entertainment Writer at GamesRadar+. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)

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