It was excitedly announced in 2016 thatThe Bell Jar, the only novel by writer and poetSylvia Plath,was to be adapted into a movie directed byKirsten Dunst, in what would have been her directorial debut. It was also announced thatDakota Fanningwould star in the film. The project had progressed to the extent that Dunst had co-written a screenplay withNellie Kim, but since then, we’ve seen drastic changes to this promising line-up. So what has happened to Kirsten Dunst’sThe Bell Jarmovie, and what are we to expect?
RELATED:Best TV Book Adaptations, From ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ to ‘Shadow and Bone’
What is ‘The Bell Jar’ About?
Loosely based on Plath’s own life,The Bell Jarfocuses on the character Esther Greenwood during her internship for a New York fashion magazine. Although a life of writing, cocktail parties, and high society sounds like a young aspiring writer’s dream, Esther experiences severe depression, linked in part to the unprecedented and distressing real-life execution of the Rosenbergs in 1953, which she becomes consumed by. Throughout the course of the novel, she descends into a deteriorating mental state, struggling to cope or find stability in her life.
Weighed down by the heavy reality of societal expectations, life choices, and her own declining mental health, Esther becomes increasingly lost and disillusioned. Sometimes darkly funny and sometimes just dark, Plath doesn’t shy away from these crucial and profound topics, candidly featuring her own criticisms of the treatment common to patients in psychiatric facilities in the 1960s. Furthermore, she drew inspiration and understanding from her own experiences with depression and psychiatric therapies, crafting a very personal portrayal.
With Dunst’s credits in movies likeThe Virgin Suicides,Marie Antoinette, andMelancholia, she seemed like the apt choice for director, being an actor who has already worked with material concerning women struggling with mental illness, and the tortuous politics they have to navigate as a result. With her performance inMelancholiabeing informed by her own experiences with depression, Dunst seemed like the perfect choice to bring Esther Greenwood’s story to life.
Will Kirsten Dunst Still Be Directing ‘The Bell Jar’?
Unfortunately, the news broke in 2019 that Dunst would no longer be directing the movie adaptation ofThe Bell Jar.During an interview with EW(Entertainment Weekly), Dunst explained that she never owned the rights and “That’s not in my hands anymore.” She also said that she was not ready for such a big project yet; after producingOn Becoming a God in Central Florida, and becoming a mother for the first time, she realized what a challenge and a huge undertaking it would be to direct a movie at that point in time, saying “Right now, I have zero interest in committing myself to that.”
Is Dakota Fanning Still Involved in the Making of ‘The Bell Jar’?
Dakota Fanningwas confirmed to be starring as semi-autobiographical protagonist Esther Greenwood inThe Bell Jarwhen Kirsten Dunst was still leading the film. We are happy to learn that since Dunst’s departure, Fanning is still involved with the project. We look forward to the talentedThe Equalizer 3actresstaking up another serious and potentially challenging role and can look back to her recent role as the forward-thinking daughter of Betty and President Gerald Ford in the political dramaThe First Ladyfor an indication of what could be expected.
The Bell Jar, with Fanning on board,will now be conceived as a TV series, which is currently listed as being in development. Unfortunately, there has been no release date confirmed, but in the meantime, we can look forward to Dunst featuring inAlex Garland’s upcoming action-dramaCivil War, of which we eagerly await further detail.
