Searchlight Pictures Lands Lorraine Nicholson’s "Playmates"

A new coming-of-age story is heading to Searchlight Pictures, bringing together a rising young star, a Hollywood veteran and a filmmaker drawing from her own unusual childhood experiences. Searchlight Pictures has acquired Playmates, an L.A.-set feature starring Lily-Rose Depp, Bill Pullman and Indiana Elle, with Lorraine Nicholson making her feature directorial debut from her own screenplay.

What’s Happening:

According to Deadline, the Playboy-themed project centers on 13-year-old Elle, played by Indiana Elle, a self-described know-it-all who considers the Playboy Mansion her second home. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she meets Anna, played by Depp, one of seven hopefuls competing to become Playmate of the Month.
Although the pair come from very different worlds, Elle and Anna form an unlikely friendship. The two ultimately decide to help each other pursue what they want most. Anna is hoping for a magazine cover, while Elle has her sights set on a boy.
The film is inspired in part by Nicholson's own experiences growing up at the Playboy Mansion. Nicholson, the daughter of three-time Oscar winner Jack Nicholson and actress Rebecca Broussard, has drawn from that unusual environment to create a coming-of-age story set against the world surrounding the iconic Playboy Mansion.
Pullman is set to portray Playboy founder Hugh Hefner in the film, adding another significant figure from the Mansion's history to the story.
Playmates marks Nicholson's feature directorial debut. She previously wrote and directed the short film Life Boat, starring Stephen Dorff, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival. Nicholson is also a graduate of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women and has contributed to publications including Vanity Fair and W.
The film will be produced by Alex Orlovsky and Duncan Montgomery for High Frequency Entertainment alongside Depp. At Searchlight, VP of Production Richard Ruiz and Creative Executive Cornelia Burleigh are overseeing the project, reporting to Heads of Production and Development DanTram Nguyen and Katie Goodson-Thomas.
For Depp, Playmates adds another feature to an increasingly varied slate of projects. The actress recently reunited with director Robert Eggers for the upcoming horror film Werwulf following her acclaimed performance in Eggers' Nosferatu. She will also appear in the Zellner Brothers' science-fiction comedy Alpha Gang, which has screened at Telluride and TIFF.
Pullman has continued to build a diverse film and television résumé, with recent credits including Netflix's The Boroughs, Everybody Digs Bill Evans and Paul Schrader's The Basics of Philosophy, which premiered at the 2026 Venice Film Festival. His upcoming projects include A24's Famous and Spaceballs: The New One.
Indiana Elle, meanwhile, has been gaining attention following her role as Cecelia Winchester in Lionsgate's The Housemaid, alongside Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar and Sydney Sweeney. She subsequently appeared as the daughter of Elisabeth Moss in Apple's limited series Imperfect Woman and in Apple's comedy The Dink.
The acquisition gives Searchlight another notable project to add to its upcoming slate. The studio is also preparing two films for the fall, with Martin McDonagh's Wild Horse Nine scheduled for November 6 and Tony Gilroy's Behemoth! arriving December 4.
Playmates also follows Searchlight's recent announcement of The Family Stone sequel, which is set to bring back members of the original 2005 holiday film's cast, including Claire Danes, Rachel McAdams and Sarah Jessica Parker.
With Nicholson bringing a personal connection to the setting and a cast led by Depp, Pullman and Elle, Playmates will offer a fictionalized coming-of-age story set against one of Hollywood's most recognizable and controversial cultural landmarks.

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Searchlight Pictures Lands "Playmates" Starring Lily-Rose Depp, Bill Pullman and Indiana Elle, Directed by Lorraine Nicholson

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