Colin Farrell, Steve Coogan, Charlie Heaton and more join Emilia Jones in Netflix's Irish revenge thriller
Netflix’s upcoming Irish period thriller 'Bad Bridgets' has expanded its cast ahead of production this summer. Colin Farrell, Steve Coogan, Charlie Heaton, Domhnall Gleeson, Himesh Patel, Niamh Algar, and Simone Kirby have joined Emilia Jones and Alison Oliver in the film. The project comes from Rich Peppiatt, who directed, wrote, and produced 'Kneecap.' Netflix has not announced a release date for 'Bad Bridgets' yet, but the film is now moving closer to production in Northern Ireland and Ireland.
The update gives Netflix a larger cast for a story rooted in Irish emigrant history. Farrell is known for 'Minority Report,' 'The Banshees of Inisherin,' and 'In Bruges,' while Heaton is best known to Netflix viewers as Jonathan Byers in 'Stranger Things.' Coogan, known for 'Philomena' and 'Legends,' has also joined the film, along with Jones, who featured in 'CODA.' Oliver, known for 'Conversations with Friends' and 'Wuthering Heights,' were already attached to lead the movie.
For the unversed, 'Bad Bridgets' follows a young Irish woman who receives a mysterious letter offering escape and arrives in 19th-century New York. Once there, she is pulled into the world of the “Bridgets,” a group of Irish women whose lives bring chaos and crime into the city. Netflix’s Tudum page says the film follows two sisters who leave Ireland while trying to escape an abusive father, poverty, and hunger. Their move to America does not lead to the clean break they may have expected, as they soon find themselves among other Irish women making their own place in New York.
The film is inspired by Elaine Farrell and Leanne McCormick’s research project, which later became the nonfiction book 'Bad Bridget: Crime, Mayhem and the Lives of Irish Emigrant Women.' The research examined Irish women who moved to cities such as New York, Boston, and Toronto during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Netflix notes that this was a period when Irish women frequently outnumbered Irish men in prison. The word “Bridget” was also used as an epithet for Irish domestic servants, providing the title with a direct link to the story's historical background.
Peppiatt is directing, writing, and producing 'Bad Bridgets' after the success of 'Kneecap,' the Irish-language film about the Belfast rap trio of the same name. The new movie is being produced by LuckyChap, the company run by Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Josey McNamara, and Milan Popelka, along with Peppiatt’s Coup d’Etat banner. Cáit Collins serves as executive producer on the film. The production team also includes cinematographer Ryan Kernaghan, production designer James Price, and costume designer Kate Hawley. The cast list also features a mix of Irish, British, and international names. As for when 'Bad Bridgets' will arrive on Netflix, the streamer has not shared a date yet. Netflix has only confirmed that production begins on location in Northern Ireland and Ireland this summer. That means a release window will likely depend on the filming schedule and post-production timeline.
