Searchlight Pictures has acquired Lorraine Nicholson’s feature directorial debut “Playmates,” which has Lily-Rose Depp attached to star in the title role of an aspiring playboy bunny, the studio announced Tuesday.
The official synopsis reads: “Elle, a thirteen-year-old know-it-all who considers the Playboy Mansion her second home, meets Anna, 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, a magazine cover and a boy.”
Bill Pullman is attached to star as Hugh Hefner in the film, and “The Housemaid’s” Indiana Elle will play the thirteen-year-old know-it-all.
Nicholson, who is the daughter of acting legend Jack Nicholson, also wrote the script. The story is loosely inspired by her experiences growing up at the Playboy Mansion, and the film is a coming-of-age story set in Los Angeles.
Alex Orlovsky and Duncan Montgomery are producing the project for High Frequency Entertainment, along with Depp.
VP of Production Richard Ruiz and Creative Executive Cornelia Burleigh are overseeing the project for Searchlight Pictures, reporting to Heads of Production and Development DanTram Nguyen and Katie Goodson-Thomas.
Nicholson previously wrote and directed the short film “Life Boat,” starring Stephen Dorff, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. She is also a graduate of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women and a contributor to Vanity Fair and W magazines. She graduated from Brown University in 2012.
A two-time César Award-nominated actress, Depp most recently starred in Robert Eggers’ critically acclaimed “Nosferatu” for Focus Features and will soon reunite with the team in Eggers’ upcoming film “Werwulf.” Depp will also be seen in the Zellner Brothers’ sci-fi comedy “Alpha Gang,” which made its recent debut at Telluride and TIFF.
Pullman is an acclaimed actor known for iconic film roles in “Spaceballs,” “Independence Day,” “While You Were Sleeping” and “Sleepless in Seattle,” alongside acclaimed television and stage work. His recent credits include Netflix’s “The Boroughs,” “Everybody Digs Bill Evans” and Paul Schrader’s “The Basics of Philosophy,” which premiered at the 2026 Venice Film Festival. Upcoming projects include A24’s “Famous” and “Spaceballs: The New One.”
Elle had her first breakout role as Cecelia Winchester in the Lionsgate smash hit feature “The Housemaid.” She followed that up with a strong supporting role as the daughter of Elisabeth Moss in Apple TV’s 2026 series “Imperfect Woman”, as well as a supporting role in the Ben Stiller comedy The Dink. She lives in Los Angeles with her parents, brother, and 2 Great Danes.
Nicholson is repped by CAA, Adam Paulsen, Hansen Jacobson Teller Hoberman Newman Warren Richman Rush Kaller Gellman Meigs & Fox, and ID PR. Depp is repped by CAA, Markham, Froggatt & Irwin, Agence Adequat, and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Feldman, Rogal, Shikora & Clark. Pullman is repped by CAA and W|K Public Relations. Elle is repped by Leigh Keene at Sovereign Talent Group and the law firm of Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller, Gellman, Meigs, and Fox.
