Netflix has unveiled an impressive new cast for one of its most anticipated upcoming films. Bad Bridgets, an Irish period revenge thriller, has added Colin Farrell, Steve Coogan, Charlie Heaton, and Domhnall Gleeson to its lineup. They join Himesh Patel, Niamh Algar, Simone Kirby, and previously announced leads Emilia Jones and Alison Oliver. Filming is set to begin in Ireland and Northern Ireland in mid-July.
The story follows a young Irish woman who receives a mysterious letter promising a way out of her current life. She travels to 19th-century New York, where she is drawn into the chaotic world of the Bridgets—a group of Irish immigrant women widely viewed as troublemakers and rule-breakers. As the official synopsis puts it, mayhem follows in her wake. The film is a period revenge thriller rooted in a real and largely untold chapter of history.
Bad Bridgets is inspired by the nonfiction book Bad Bridget: Crime, Mayhem, and the Lives of Irish Emigrant Women by Elaine Farrell and Leanne McCormick. The book explores the lives of Irish women who emigrated to the United States and were often labelled as criminals and social outcasts by the society they entered. One of its most striking findings is that, for a period of time, Irish women actually outnumbered Irish men in prison. The book was optioned in 2025 by director and producer Rich Peppiatt and producer Trevor Birney, with the project developed in partnership with Queen’s University Belfast and supported by Northern Ireland Screen.
The names attached to the project are equally impressive. Colin Farrell, coming off his Oscar-nominated performance in The Banshees of Inisherin, joins the cast alongside Steve Coogan, best known for Philomena and The Trip. Charlie Heaton, who played Jonathan Byers in Stranger Things, is also on board, as is Domhnall Gleeson, whose credits include Ex Machina and About Time.
They are joined by Himesh Patel, known for Yesterday and Christopher Nolan’s upcoming The Odyssey, along with Niamh Algar, who recently appeared in Mary & George, and Simone Kirby, who previously collaborated with Peppiatt on Kneecap. Together, they join Emilia Jones (CODA) and Alison Oliver (Wuthering Heights), who lead the film.
Rich Peppiatt is writing, directing, and producing Bad Bridgets. His previous feature, Kneecap, was a critically acclaimed Irish-language music drama that made a significant impact on the international festival circuit. Bad Bridgets marks his follow-up feature, and his return to stories rooted in Irish history feels like a natural progression. Peppiatt first optioned the book in 2025, making this a project he has been developing for several years.
On the production side, Bad Bridgets is being backed by Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment, the production company behind films including Barbie, Saltburn, and Wuthering Heights. The company is led by Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Josey McNamara, and Milan Popelka, alongside Peppiatt’s own Coup d’Etat banner. The creative team behind the camera is equally accomplished. Ryan Kernaghan, who won a BAFTA for his cinematography on Kneecap, returns as director of photography. James Price, an Academy Award and BAFTA winner for Poor Things, serves as production designer, while Kate Hawley, also an Oscar and BAFTA winner, is handling costume design.
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