John / November 4th, 2016
Patricia Arquette, Bel Powley and Stacy Martin have joined Dakota Fanning and Jesse Plemons in the movie adaptation of Sylvia Plath’s “The Bell Jar,” which will be Kirsten Dunst’s directorial debut.
Cornerstone Films has launched foreign sales at the American Film Market. The film is going into production in early 2017.
Fanning is playing the lead role of Esther Greenwood in the film, based on Plath’s 1963 novel. Plemons will portray the Lenny Shepherd character.
Dunst has adapted the script with Nellie Kim.
Priority Pictures optioned remake rights from Studio Canal. “The Bell Jar” was made into a feature film in 1979.
Priority’s Lizzie Friedman, Karen Lauder, and Greg Little will produce alongside Fanning and Echo Lake Entertainment’s Brittany Kahan. Celine Rattray and Dunst are executive producing.
In the book, Greenwood takes an internship at a magazine in New York City, and then begins to suffer a mental breakdown when she returns home to Boston. The novel is the only book ever published by Plath, who committed suicide in 1963.
Arquette won a supporting actress Oscar for “Boyhood.” Powley starred in “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” and Martin starred in “Nymphomaniac.”
Arquette is represented by the Gersh Agency and 3 Arts Entertainment. Powley is repped by UTA, The BWH Agency and Authentic Talent and Literary Management. Martin is repped by WME, 42 West, and Greg Slewett as her attorney.
Dave McNary, variety.com
John / October 20th, 2016
Jesse Plemons is set to appear in the directorial debut of his Fargo co-star – and off-screen girlfriend – Kirsten Dunst.
Announced Thursday, the rising Breaking Bad, Bridge of Spies and Black Mass actor has now joined The Bell Jar, to be directed by Dunst and also starring Dakota Fanning.
Based on Sylvia Plath’s 1963 literary classic, the adaptation will see Dakota play the lead Esther Greenwood, with Plemons as Lenny Shepherd. Dunst is co-writing alongside Nellie Kim, with the film set to go into production in early 2017.
Priority Pictures optioned the re-make rights to the project from StudioCanal. Lizzie Friedman (The Stanford Prison Experiment, Ride) will produce together with Fanning and Brittany Kahan from Echo Lake Entertainment (Truth, Nebraska) with Celine Rattray (American Honey, The Kids Are Alright) and Dunst as executive producers.
Cornerstone Films has acquired The Bell Jar for international sales and will be introducing the film to buyers at the American Film Market next month. UTA is handling the North American rights.
“The themes explored in The Bell Jar resonate as strongly in 2016 as they did in 1963 when the novel was first published,” said Cornerstone’s Alison Thompson and Mark Gooder. “Kirsten Dunst’s compelling vision for the film has a vibrant authenticity that modern audiences will embrace and we are proud to be part of the team bringing her directorial debut to the marketplace.”
Alex Ritman; The Hollywood Reporter.