Jennifer Kent is finally embarking on her third feature film, and she has not only an actress and a production start date to back it up but also a captivating story to tell. According to Deadline, the director of "The Babadook" and "The Nightingale" is set to tackle a sci-fi adaptation of "The Girl Who Was Plugged In," with Sophie Thatcher attached in dual lead roles. It's a project Kent has been circling for a while, but now it's finally gaining real momentum.
Goodfellas, the sales outfit that backed 'Babadook,' is preparing to introduce the film to buyers at Cannes, while CAA Media Finance and Range Media Partners are handling U.S. rights. Kent wrote the screenplay herself, adapting the novella by James Tiptree Jr. (the pseudonym of Alice B. Sheldon), which won the Hugo Award for Best Novella back in 1974.
Thatcher will play P. Burke, a disfigured and suicidal young woman recruited by a powerful tech company to remotely operate a lab-grown "perfect" body named Delphi. The idea is simple and disturbing: Delphi becomes a kind of manufactured celebrity used to sell products, while Burke controls her from behind the scenes. But as Delphi's popularity grows, Burke's connection to this artificial version of herself starts to fracture her sense of reality.
Kent's films have never exactly been easy watches, and this sounds very much in her wheelhouse—psychological and probably a little brutal. This could end up being her most ambitious film yet.
The plan is to shoot in Australia starting November 2026, marking almost eight years since "The Nightingale." However, Kent is apparently ready to delve into a new project, having directed only two films in twelve years. The anticipation is high, and we can't wait to see what she has in store for us with this exciting new venture.
