I was already excited to see Billie Eilish heading to the cinemas in a big way in a couple of months when her 3D concert movie with James Cameron lands on the 2026 movie schedule. But, I've just learned that the 24-year-old pop star has even more plans to be in the movies, and as a longtime fan of the singer, I think the project is a totally great idea for her first leading role in a film.
The Upcoming Movie Billie Eilish Could Star In
So, a new report from Deadline has revealed that Billie Eilish is in “advanced talks” to be the lead actress in an adaptation of the classic novel, The Bell Jar, from poet Sylvia Plath. The movie will come from writer/director Sarah Polley, who previously made the critically-acclaimed 2022 film Women Talking and the 2017 Netflix miniseries Alias Grace. Focus Features is the studio behind distributing the project alongside Plan B Entertainment and StudioCanal, producing it.
The book itself follows a 19-year-old college student named Esther Greenwood who earns an internship at a magazine in New York City in the year 1953. Esther’s big move to the city leads to her experiencing anxiety and depression while her peers seem to be having the time of their lives.
The Bell Jar is Sylvia Plath’s only novel, and is thought to be semi-autobiographical of her own life. Plath died by suicide at the age of 30, just a month after the release of The Bell Jar, which would go on to become a huge bestseller, most notably in the United States when it came out in 1971.
Why I Think It’s The Perfect Role For Billie Eilish
I would consider Billie Eilish a poet (by means of songwriting) in her own right, who has also happened to suffer from depression throughout her life and written about it in her songs, along with opening up about it in interviews. As she told Rolling Stone in 2024:
My whole life, I’ve never been a happy person, really. I’ve been a joyous person, but not a happy person. I experience joy and laughter and I can find fun in things, but… I’ve suffered with a lot of depression my whole life.
The Bell Jar is an important work, but it’s also one that has fallen through in the past when Hollywood has tried to adapt it before, and I understand why. It’s not an easy work to adapt for the screen. However, I think having Billie Eilish on board could not only bring a lot more eyes to it. It could also allow Eilish to channel a piece of art she can likely relate to without it having to be explicitly about her – especially when you consider what else she's said about talking about her mental health:
I think it’s really weird when you are in the middle of something and somebody asks you to be the advocate for the thing you’re in the middle of. I understand that it’s important, and I understand that it’s an epidemic and it needs to be talked about, but I don’t want to fucking be the role model for depression. What happens when I do some shit y’all aren’t going to like?
Between being outed on a red carpet, always dealing with the rumors that come with fame and people frequently commenting on her appearance/fashion choices, I imagine I’d be cathartic for the artist to be part of something where she gets to amplify an important mental health story, and flex some new artistic muscles without being personally in the center of it.
The talks so far don't say she'll be doing the music for the soundtrack, but I think the subject matters in The Bell Jar, which also include conversations about gender roles, societal pressure, identity and coming-of-age, could produce some great new music from her, too.
Plus, the movie comes after she made a stunning acting debut in 2023 by guest-starring on Amazon’s Swarm. She was only in an episode, but she definitely showed promise as an actor, and I’d be really excited to see her lead her own project. I know I’ll be watching this movie among the many upcoming book adaptations on the way now that this report has come out.
