Jessica Biel is set to portray a fictional former Playmate who becomes Hugh Hefner’s wife in Playmates, an upcoming feature film inspired by the world surrounding the founder of Playboy. The project brings together Biel, Lily-Rose Depp, Bill Pullman and Indiana Elle for a story that explores an unusual friendship against the backdrop of the famous Playboy Mansion and the culture surrounding the magazine.
Playmates marks the feature writing and directorial debut of Lorraine Nicholson, who is taking on both sides of the filmmaking process for the project. The film is expected to approach the Playboy world through a fictional story rather than presenting itself as a conventional biographical account of Hefner’s life.
The central story follows Elle, played by Indiana Elle, a thirteen-year-old girl who is fascinated by the Playboy Mansion and considers the property almost like a second home. Her life changes when she meets Anna, portrayed by Lily-Rose Depp, a young woman among seven hopefuls competing for the opportunity to become Playmate of the Month.
Although the two characters come from very different stages of life, they develop an unexpected friendship. Their relationship becomes the emotional foundation of the film as both attempt to help the other achieve a personal goal. Anna dreams of appearing on the cover of the magazine, while Elle is focused on winning the attention of a boy she likes.
The official story description presents the relationship between Elle and Anna as an unlikely connection formed in an environment where ambition, image and celebrity are closely intertwined. Rather than simply focusing on the Playboy brand or Hefner himself, the film appears to use the mansion and its surrounding culture as the setting for a coming-of-age story involving friendship, aspiration and the desire to be noticed.
Jessica Biel’s involvement adds another prominent name to the cast. Her character is connected directly to Hefner, but the role is not based on one of his actual wives. While Hugh Hefner was married several times during his lifetime, Biel will portray a fictional former Playmate who becomes his wife within the world created for the movie.
That distinction is significant because Playmates is not being presented as a straightforward retelling of Hefner’s personal history. Instead, the filmmakers are creating fictional characters and relationships around a real cultural figure whose influence extended far beyond the pages of Playboy magazine.
Hefner died in 2017 at the age of 91, after decades as one of the most recognizable and controversial figures in American popular culture. Through Playboy, he built a media empire that became associated with adult entertainment, celebrity interviews, lifestyle journalism and changing attitudes toward sexuality. His public image also remained a subject of debate, particularly concerning gender, power and the treatment of women within the Playboy world.
A fictional film set within that environment gives the filmmakers room to examine those tensions through characters who are not necessarily historical figures. Biel’s character, for example, can interact with Hefner and the fictionalized Playboy environment without being limited by the documented details of any real marriage.
For Biel, the project adds another distinctive role to a career that has moved across film and television. She has appeared in movies including The Illusionist, New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day, while also earning significant recognition for her television work.
Her performance in The Sinner became one of the most notable parts of her recent career. The psychological crime drama gave Biel an opportunity to take on a darker and more demanding dramatic role, earning her an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe nomination. Her involvement in Playmates suggests another departure from more conventional romantic or mainstream roles.
Lily-Rose Depp also brings considerable attention to the project. The actor has developed a career spanning independent productions, major films and television, often choosing roles that place her in unusual or psychologically complex settings. Her character Anna is positioned at the heart of the film’s central friendship and the competitive world surrounding the Playmate of the Month title.
Bill Pullman is also part of the cast, adding another experienced performer to the ensemble. Indiana Elle, meanwhile, takes on the role of Elle, whose perspective provides an important part of the film’s story. Her character’s young age and fascination with the Playboy Mansion create a contrast with Anna’s ambitions and the adult environment surrounding them.
The concept also gives Nicholson an opportunity to explore the contrast between youthful curiosity and the complicated realities of celebrity culture. Elle sees the Playboy Mansion through the eyes of a teenager, while Anna is pursuing an opportunity that could change how she is perceived and potentially open doors in the entertainment industry.
That contrast could become one of the film’s defining elements. The Playboy brand has long carried associations with glamour, fame and sexualized imagery, but its history also raises questions about power, ambition and the expectations placed on women. By placing a young character and an aspiring Playmate at the center of the narrative, the film has the potential to examine those ideas through personal relationships rather than relying solely on historical events.
The decision to make Biel’s character fictional also allows Playmates to separate itself from the expectations normally attached to a traditional biographical movie. Audiences familiar with Hefner’s real marriages may recognize the broad connection, but the character’s story will exist within the filmmakers’ fictional interpretation of the Playboy world.
As a feature debut, the project will also serve as an important introduction to Nicholson’s filmmaking voice. Writing and directing a first feature is a significant creative challenge, particularly when the story is set against a recognizable cultural institution with a complicated legacy. The film will have to balance its fictional narrative with the public perception surrounding Playboy and its founder.
