Rich Peppiatt’s long-awaited historical tale supported by Netflix Bad Bridgets added a slew of high-profile cast members ahead of filming this July.
Colin Farrell (ur.Banshee of Inisherin), Steve Coogan (Philomena), Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things), Domhnall Gleeson (Former car), Himesh Patel (Yesterday), Niamh Algar (Iris Case) and Simone Kirby ((Patella) join previously announced leads Emilia Jones and Alison Oliver.
Inspired by a book Bad Bridget: Crime, Chaos and the Life of Irish Emigrant Women The film by scholars Elaine Farrell and Lynne McCormick follows the adventures of a young Irish woman searching for a new life in New York.
The logline reads: “When a mysterious letter inviting her to escape leads a young Irish woman to 19th-century New York, she is drawn into Bridget’s unruly world, where chaos follows her.”
“Bad Bridget” is a term coined by Farrell and McCormick to describe impoverished Irish girls and women who traveled throughout the United States and Canada in search of a new life and often found themselves on the wrong side of the law while trying to survive.
Peppiatt, who won the Bafta Breakthrough Award in 2024 Patellais also producing under Coup d’Etat Films, his Belfast-based joint venture with producer Trevor Birney and Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap. Kate Collins is executive producer.
This feature reunites Peppiatt with Patella cinematographer Ryan Kernaghan. Production designer James PricePoor things) and costume designer Kate Hawley (Frankenstein) are also included.
The project was developed with the support of Queen’s University Belfast and produced with the support of Northern Ireland Screen.
Filming will take place in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland from mid-July 2026.