“Bad Bridgets” the Irish period thriller that was one of the buzziest projects to launch at last year’s American Film Market, has found a home.
Netflix will release the film, which will be led by Emilia Jones (“CODA,” “Task”) and Alison Oliver, globally.
Oliver, who has starred in “Saltburn” and “Wuthering Heights,” recently replaced Daisy Edgar-Jones, who was originally attached to play opposite Jones.
From writer-director Rich Peppiatt, who won a BAFTA for his acclaimed directorial debut “Kneecap,” the film is being produced by Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment. It was inspired by the book “Bad Bridget: Crime, Mayhem, and the Lives of Irish Emigrant Women” by Elaine Farrell and Leanne McCormick.
Set in the 19th century against the backdrop of a famine-ravaged Ireland, the story focuses on two sisters who make a treacherous journey to America to escape an abusive father, poverty and hunger. Once in New York, they join the ranks of other Irish women, the so-called “Bridgets,” creating mayhem in the city.
The book was optioned by Peppiatt and his “Kneecap” producer Trevor Birney in 2025, with the two producing alongside LuckyChap for their Coup d’Etat Films banner, which launched in 2024.
“Bad Bridgets” will shoot in Northern Ireland and Ireland later in 2026. Oscar-winning production designer James Price and costume designer Kate Hawley are on board.
The film was developed with the support of Queens University, Belfast.
FilmNation launched the package to international buyers at the AFM, with WME Independent repping for the U.S.
Source: variety.com
