Summary:
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Billie Eilish in talks for feature film debut in Sylvia Plath’s “The Bell Jar” adaptation by Sarah Polley. Focus Features distributing.
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Plath’s novel follows a young woman’s mental illness in 1950s society. Polley’s first film since Oscar win, Eilish’s acting follow-up.
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Project produced by Joy Coalition, Plan B, and StudioCanal. Eilish co-directing concert tour documentary with James Cameron.
Billie Eilish is in advanced talks to make her feature film acting debut in an adaptation of Sylvia Plath’s “The Bell Jar,” with Oscar-winning filmmaker Sarah Polley attached to write and direct.
Focus Features is closing a deal to distribute the film in the U.S. The project is being produced by Joy Gorman Wettels through her company Joy Coalition, along with Plan B Entertainment and StudioCanal.
Plath’s only novel, originally published in 1963, follows a young woman’s descent into mental illness amid the societal pressures facing women in the 1950s. A previous adaptation was released in 1979, though it was not well received by critics at the time.
The project marks Polley’s first film since winning the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for “Women Talking” in 2023. Eilish, a 10-time Grammy winner, has won two Academy Awards for co-writing original songs for “Barbie” and “No Time to Die” with her brother Finneas.
Eilish previously made her acting debut in the Prime Video series “Swarm,” co-created by Donald Glover, earning a People’s Choice Award for TV performance of the year. She is also co-directing an upcoming concert tour documentary with James Cameron.
Gorman Wettels originated the project and packaged it with Eilish and Polley before bringing on Plan B and StudioCanal.
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No production timeline has been announced.
