Jessica Biel to Join Searchlights' "Playmates"
Biel will play the wife of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner.
Of all the pieces of 20th Century Fox that Disney acquired, one that has continually paid dividends has been Searchlight. The studio has produced some of Disney's highest-profile projects over the last few years, and a high-profile project in development, Playmates, just picked up another solid name.
What's Happening:
- Last month it was announced that Searchlight had acquired Playmates, a new coming-of-age drama from writer/director Lorraine Nicholson.
- The film is set in and around the Playboy Mansion. Bill Pullman had already been cast as Hugh Hefner. Now Deadline reports Jessica Biel is joining the film as Hefner's wife.
- While Hefner was married three times, Biel isn't playing any of Hefner's actual wives, as the film isn't based on a true story. Instead, she'll play a fictional wife to Pullman's Hefner.
- Playmates is the story of a 13-year-old girl growing up in and around the Playboy Mansion. While there, she meets an aspiring Playmate (Lily-Rose Depp), and the two form an unlikely friendship.
- Biel hadn't made any major film or TV projects for a few years, but recently returned to the screen with The Better Sister on Prime Video.
- This will also be Biel's first time back under the Disney umbrella in many years, though one of her earliest film roles was in the Disney Christmas film I'll Be Home for Christmas with Jonathan Taylor Thomas.
More Spotlight News:
- Early awards season buzz has been strong for Searchlight's Wild Horse Nine.
- Another possible contender could be Behemoth! from Pedro Pascal and Tony Gilroy.
- Cult Christmas Classic The Family Stone is set to get a sequel.