Rich Peppiatt‘s “Bad Bridgets” has finally found a movie: on Netflix.
Variety reports that the streaming giant now has the rights to release the upcoming Irish period thriller, Peppiatt’s follow-up to his acclaimed feature debut “Kneecap.” The package for “Bad Bridgets” hit the American Film Market last November, but it’s taken until now to find a home. Also of note: Daisy Edgar-Jones is no longer on the cast sheet. Instead, “Saltburn” and “Wuthering Heights” actress Alison Oliver replaces her, now co-starring alongside “CODA” actress Emilia Jones.
Set in the 19th century, “Bad Bridgets” stars Jones and Oliver as two sisters who flee famine-plagued Ireland for the United States, where they join the ranks of other Irish immigrant women, called the Bridgets, to wreak havoc in New York City. Peppiatt’s next film takes inspiration from Elaine Farrell and Leanne McCormick‘s book “Bad Bridget: Crime, Mayhem, And The Lives Of Irish Emigrant Women.” Margot Robbie‘s LuckyChap Entertainment will produce the film, along with Peppiatt and Trevor Barney via their Coup d’Etat Films banner.
Is Netflix the right place for Peppiatt’s follow-up to 2024 Sundance favorite “Kneecap” to land? There are pros and cons here. On the one hand, the streamer should allow “Bad Bridgets” to have a major festival release. On the other hand, the film likely won’t get a theatrical release. That may be okay for Peppiatt, though: Sony Pictures gave “Kneecap” only a modest theatrical run in the US two years ago despite rave reviews, while the film won several awards in the UK during awards season.
So, when will “Bad Bridgets” reach audiences? Peppiatt starts shooting the film in Northern Ireland and Ireland later this year, so maybe a Sundance 2028 world premiere is likely. Stay tuned to find out.
