Billie Eilish in Talks to Star in Sylvia Plath’s ‘The Bell Jar’ Adaptation

Billie Eilish is circling a feature film adaption of Sylvia Plath’s foundational novel “The Bell Jar,” directed by “Women Talking” filmmaker Sarah Polley.

Focus Features currently circling the project for distribution, with Plan B Entertainment and StudioCanal producing alongside Joy Gorman Wettels.

“The Bell Jar” is a 1963 semi-autobiographical novel written by the now-famous writer and poet Sylvia Plath. Plath battled severe depression for much of her life, leading to treatments of electroconvulsive therapy — both experienced by the main character in her book. The author died of suicide at the age of 30 a month after the book released.

“The Bell Jar” follows Esther Greenwood, a 19-year-old English major going through a period of massive transition in her life. At the start of the novel, Esther is on a summer internship with a magazine called Ladies’ Day, with the story repeatedly flashing back to her earlier experiences. Upon returning to her mother’s home in Massachusetts, Esther endeavors to write a novel before while suffering from increasingly severe depression. Esther is eventually sent to a mental hospital, where she feels trapped as if confined under a “bell jar.”

Plath’s roman à clef has gained a reputation as an important American text and piece of feminist literature.

More to come …

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