Filming has wrapped. Sarah Polley's adaptation of Sylvia Plath's novel The Bell Jar is finished, and the confirmed casting of the rest of the ensemble has now been added alongside Billie Eilish in the lead role. The film is produced by Plan B Entertainment, STUDIOCANAL and Joy Coalition, with distribution by Focus Features, and Polley is both screenwriter and director. A theatrical release date has not yet been announced. SPIN ↗
Eilish plays Esther Greenwood, the gifted young woman at the center of Plath's semi-autobiographical story of a descent into mental illness amid the suffocating expectations 1950s America placed on women. Carey Mulligan, whose casting leaked to the public back in July, plays Esther's mother. Also confirmed are Danielle Deadwyler as Doctor Nolan, Dylan Hawco as Buddy Willard, Lili Taylor as Jay Cee, Ella Beatty as Joan, Maggie Kuntz as Doreen, Ike Barinholtz as Lenny, and Connor Storrie as Marco. SPIN ↗
This isn't her first time in front of the camera — she appeared in a 2023 Prime Video series. The concert film Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles came out back in 2021. This summer she appeared in the three-dimensional concert film Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), which she also co-directed with James Cameron. She also has Oscars for her film songs. SPIN ↗
Plath's 1963 novel is one that has long resisted filmmakers, and handing the lead role to a singer without an extensive acting background is a bold decision for such material.
Illustrative photo: Billie Eilish on the Hit Me Hard and Soft tour. Photo: Premeditated / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Billie Eilish wraps her film debut, The Bell Jar cast is now complete
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