Full Breakdown
Ella Beatty Joins *The Bell Jar* Cast with Billie Eilish and Carey Mulligan
7/18/2026, 4:20:10 AM
The Bell Jar Casting Development
Ella Beatty, known for Netflix’s true-crime series *Monster* and recent stage work, is in final negotiations to join the Focus Features adaptation of Sylvia Plath’s 1963 novel *The Bell Jar*. The film will also feature pop star Billie Eilish in her acting debut as protagonist Esther Greenwood and Academy-Award winner Carey Mulligan as Greenwood’s mother. Representatives for Focus declined comment on the exact role Beatty will portray.
Novel Background and Cultural Significance
*The Bell Jar* is Plath’s sole novel, a semi-autobiographical account of a young woman’s descent into mental illness and the pressures of 1960s society. The work was published in the United Kingdom in 1963; Plath died by suicide a month after its first UK release. In the United States the book became an immediate bestseller and has since been translated into more than 40 languages, cementing its status as a literary touchstone on depression and gender expectations.
Principal Cast and Creative Team
- Ella Beatty – Juilliard-trained actress who debuted on screen in FX/Hulu’s *Feud: Capote vs. The Swans* and recently appeared opposite Rose Byrne and A$AP Rocky in the A24 drama *If I Had Legs I’d Kick You*. She also starred Off-Broadway in *Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes* with Hugh Jackman and will appear in the psychological thriller *Act One* at the Tribeca Festival. Beatty is represented by CAA, Entertainment 360, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.
- Billie Eilish – Grammy-winning musician portraying Esther Greenwood, marking her first feature-film role.
- Carey Mulligan – Veteran actress cast as Greenwood’s mother.
- Sarah Polley – Oscar-winning director of *Women Talking* will direct *The Bell Jar* from her own screenplay, with Plan B, Studiocanal, and Joy Coalition listed as producers.
Production Details and Upcoming Projects
The adaptation is being produced by Focus Features in partnership with Plan B, Studiocanal, and Joy Coalition. While specific release dates have not been announced, the film is positioned as a high-profile literary adaptation, leveraging Beatty’s rising profile and Eilish’s crossover into acting.
