Searchlight Buys Playboy Mansion Drama Playmates With Lily-Rose Depp

Searchlight Pictures has bought Playmates, a Playboy-themed coming-of-age drama starring Lily-Rose Depp, Bill Pullman and Indiana Elle, as reported by Deadline on 22 September 2026. The deal is for a film package, which in industry terms means a script offered with its main cast and director already in place. It hands Searchlight a youth-led story set inside one of the most talked-about houses in Los Angeles.

The film centres on 13-year-old Elle, played by Indiana Elle. Elle treats the Playboy Mansion as her second home. Her path crosses with Anna, played by Depp, who is one of seven hopefuls vying to be named Playmate of the Month. That title was the monthly spotlight given by Playboy magazine to a featured model.

Pullman plays Hugh Hefner. Hefner founded Playboy and turned the Mansion into its social centre. The story is set in Los Angeles and follows Elle as she navigates friendship, admiration and the adult world around her.

Playmates is written and directed by Lorraine Nicholson, working from her own script, according to Deadline. It is her feature directorial debut. That phrase means it is her first full-length film as a director.

Nicholson is the daughter of actor Jack Nicholson and actor Rebecca Broussard. She based Playmates loosely on her own experiences growing up around the Playboy Mansion. The personal link gives the coming-of-age angle its anchor. Childhood memory, not magazine history, drives the script.

Nicholson previously wrote and directed Life Boat, a short film starring Stephen Dorff. The short premiered at the Tribeca Festival. Shorts are brief films, often under 40 minutes, and festivals use them to spotlight new directors. The step to a feature is a jump in scale, budget and shooting days.

Behind the camera, Alex Orlovsky and Duncan Montgomery are producing for High Frequency Entertainment. Depp is also listed as a producer. At the studio, Richard Ruiz and Cornelia Burleigh will oversee the film. They report to DanTram Nguyen and Katie Goodson-Thomas, as detailed by Deadline.

What makes this stand out is the pairing. A newcomer leads. Established names support. A first-time feature director tells a story close to her own life, now with studio backing.