The rights to the new film from the director of the Kneecap movie about Irish emigrants in America has been acquired by streaming platform Netflix.
Bad Bridgets, from director Rich Peppiatt, is based on the book Bad Bridget: Crime, Mayhem and the Lives of Irish Emigrant Women, written by Queen’s University Professor Elaine Farrell and Professor Leanne McCormick of Ulster University.
Leanne McCormick, left, of Ulster University, and Elaine Farrell from Queen’s University Belfast, are the academics behind the Bad Bridget project and book
The film stars Alison Oliver, who recently featured in Wuthering Heights and Saltburn, and CODA’s Emilia Jones in the roles of two sisters leaving Ireland during the Great Famine and embarking on a new life in America.
The book, released to critical acclaim in 2023, is based on the professors’ research and a history project begun in 2015.
Bad Bridget was published in 2023
The project also led to a multi-sensory exhibition at the Ulster American Folk Park in Co Tyrone, and a popular podcast series.
Peppiatt will also produce the film alongside Kneecap producer Trevor Birney for their Coup d’Etat Films banner, and Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment.
Developed with the support of Queen’s University, the film will also see the involvement of Oscar-winning production designer James Price and costume designer Kate Hawley.
Netflix’s acquisition of the adaptation was announced on Thursday, and shooting is set to begin soon on locations including the north and the Republic.
A description of the film states: “Set during the 19th century against the devastating backdrop of famine, Bad Bridgets follows two sisters attempting to escape poverty, hunger and an abusive father by travelling to America.
“Once they arrive in New York, they become part of the chaotic world of women known as the ‘Bridgets’.”