Jessica Biel joins Playmates, the Searchlight Pictures feature inspired by filmmaker Lorraine Nicholson’s experiences growing up at the Playboy Mansion, according to Deadline. The report says Biel has taken a part that puts her opposite a film built around the household of Hugh Hefner.
The news gives Biel a new feature project at a time when she has been working on screen again after several years away from it. Deadline’s reporting is the main source for the casting, and the details below come from that account.
Who does Jessica Biel play in Playmates?
Biel is playing a wife to Hugh Hefner. Deadline notes that the character is fictional and is not modeled on any of Hefner’s three wives specifically.
Bill Pullman is playing Hefner, as previously announced. That means the film’s central household pairs Pullman’s Hefner with Biel’s character, giving the cast a familiar name at the top of the bill alongside its younger leads.
What is the story about?
Playmates adapts Nicholson’s own original script, and it marks her feature directorial debut. The film is an L.A.-set coming-of-age story.
It follows 13-year-old Elle, played by Indiana Elle, a know-it-all who considers the Playboy Mansion her second home. During her time there, Elle meets Anna, played by Lily-Rose Depp.
Anna is one of seven hopefuls vying to be Playmate of the Month. The two form an unlikely friendship and try to help each other get what the other wants most, which Deadline describes as a magazine cover and a boy.
Searchlight announced its acquisition of the Playboy-themed feature package late last month, according to Deadline. The studio has not been the only company involved in shaping the project, since the producing team includes outside partners.
Who is behind the project?
Producers on Playmates include Alex Orlovsky and Duncan Montgomery of High Frequency Entertainment, as well as Depp. The film’s producing credits are split between those partners and the actor.
On the studio side, VP Production Richard Ruiz and CE Cornelia Burleigh are overseeing the project. They report to Heads of Production and Development DanTram Nguyen and Katie Goodson-Thomas, according to the same report.
What else is Biel known for right now?
Biel earned an Emmy nomination and two Golden Globe nominations for her work as star and executive producer of USA Network’s The Sinner. Fans of that series will recognize the name at the center of her recent projects.
She most recently executive produced and starred opposite Elizabeth Banks in The Better Sister, a Prime Video limited series based on the novel by Alafair Burke. Deadline notes she came to that thriller after several years away from the screen.
Next up, Biel stars opposite John Cena in Matchbox: The Movie. The film is a collaboration between Apple, Skydance and Mattel, and according to Deadline it begins streaming on Apple TV this Friday.
What happens next for Playmates?
The source material does not give a start date for production on Playmates, so readers should watch for an official announcement from Searchlight. Biel is repped by UTA, LBI Entertainment, and Yorn, Levine, Barnes.
Quick answers
Who plays Hugh Hefner in Playmates?
Bill Pullman is playing Hefner, as previously announced, according to Deadline. Jessica Biel plays a wife to Hefner’s character in the film.
Who directs Playmates?
Lorraine Nicholson makes her feature directorial debut with Playmates. She adapts her own original script for the coming-of-age story.
Source: Deadline
