Writer-director Polley won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay for 'Women Talking'
By Emma Wilkes 11th March 2026
Billie Eilish. Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty
Billie Eilish could make her big screen acting debut in an adaptation of Sylvia Plath’s classic novel The Bell Jar helmed by Women Talking’s Sarah Polley.
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The singer is reportedly in advanced talks to take on the lead role in the project. She previously acted in 2023 TV series Swarm, co-created by Donald Glover.
Advertisement“I used to say that I hated acting,” Eilish once said in a Saturday Night Live monologue. “But the truth is, when I was little I loved it! My mom and dad were both actors. So is my brother, Finneas. And it was my dream to be in a movie.”
Writer-director Polley won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay for Women Talking, which was also nominated for best picture. She was previously attached to a live action remake of Bambi but then left the project. She has since written the screenplay for family drama & Sons and her other directorial credits include Take This Waltz and Away From Here.
Her adaptation of The Bell Jar isn’t the first time Plath’s only novel has been adapted for film, but a previously released film version in 1979 attracted negative reviews.
Released the month before Plath’s suicide aged 30, The Bell Jar semi-autobiographically follows a young writer dealing with mental illness in the 1950s.
RecommendedEilish will also be appearing on the big screen in her forthcoming Hit Me Hard And Soft concert film by James Cameron. Originally scheduled to arrive in cinemas on March 20, it has been pushed back by almost two months for technical reasons and will now drop on May 8.
Hit Me Hard And Soft: The Tour (Live In 3D) was shot at Eilish’s four-night sold-out run at Manchester’s Co-Op Live in July 2025.
Meanwhile, last month a controversial right-wing Australian activist accused Eilish of getting him deported from US for threatening to “occupy” her mansion.
On stage accepting the Song Of The Year award at the 2026 Grammys, Eilish condemned the widespread operation from the United States Immigration And Customs Enforcement (ICE) – particularly following the death of civilians Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were each fatally shot by ICE agents on separate occasions.
Advertisement“No one is illegal on stolen land,” she said. “I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting, and our voices really do matter, and the people matter. Fuck ICE.”
While the singer was widely praised for her comments at the Grammys, some criticised her and suggested that the statement was hypocritical as her Los Angeles home is also on “stolen land”, in an area that belongs to the Tongva tribe (as per Metro).
Pavlou was one who shared this stance, and shared with his followers online that he was going to squat in her home to put the “No one is illegal on stolen land” comments “to the test”.
Online, he alleged that the project was going to be “performance art”, and later gave an update saying that he had been stopped by border force officials, detained for over 24 hours, and made to leave the country.
He was sent back to Australia as he had not arrived on a business visa, and later made a GoFundMe page to try and pay for his return flights. This page was later taken down as it breached guidelines.
