Lorraine Nicholson will make her feature directorial debut with Playmates, a coming-of-age drama starring Lily-Rose Depp that Searchlight Pictures has acquired.
The film is written by Nicholson and draws directly on her childhood memories growing up visiting the Playboy Mansion during one of the magazine's peak eras in the 1990s.
Actor Bill Pullman has also joined the cast to play Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, alongside rising actress Indiana Elle in a co-starring role.
Cast and storyline
According to Searchlight Pictures, the script written by Nicholson centers on Elle, a 13-year-old girl who considers the Playboy Mansion her second home and believes she knows everything.
While spending time at the estate, the young girl meets Anna, played by Depp, who is one of seven women competing for the title of Playmate of the Month.
The two characters form an unexpected friendship and attempt to assist each other in achieving their primary desires. The candidate for Playmate seeks to secure a magazine cover, while the 13-year-old girl focuses on finding a boyfriend.
Indiana Elle landed the co-starring role following her feature film debut playing the daughter of Amanda Seyfried in The Housemaid. Depp, who stars as the Playmate contender, is the daughter of actor Johnny Depp and French singer and actress Vanessa Paradis.
Memories of the Playboy Mansion
Nicholson, the daughter of Oscar-winning actor Jack Nicholson, previously detailed her upbringing around the estate in a 2024 essay written for Vanity Fair.
In the publication, she described spending time at the Los Angeles property during the 1990s, where her memories included Easter egg hunts and driving toy cars across the tennis courts.
She also recalled being bitten by a peacock on the grounds and exploring the property's famous underground cave, known as the grotto. Nicholson noted that the estate initially felt magical to her, before she grew older and realized she was different from the adults and other children visiting the mansion.
Childhood at the estate
Writing in her essay, Nicholson explained that she never attended summer camp or participated in after-school activities as a child. She stated that from her birth in 1990 until roughly age 11, she spent her days at the Playboy Mansion because her friends were located there.
Nicholson recalled that her circle at the estate included children such as a boy named Taylor, whose parents had originally met at the mansion's Midsummer Night's Dream party. She added that her friends also comprised past, present, and future Playmates, as well as adult men who frequented the property.
She noted that only half of her companions at the estate were actually children, though she felt that distinction did not matter at the time. She observed that adult regulars at the mansion, including visitors named Alison and Joel, also enjoyed spending time playing games on the grounds.
Industry outlet The Hollywood Reporter initially reported on September 22, 2026, that Searchlight Pictures had picked up the feature project. Searchlight Pictures will back the film as Nicholson moves her script into production.
