Jessica Lange and Naomi Watts Star in ‘Secret Life of the Lonely Doll’

Naomi Watts Smiling in Gold Dress
Naomi Watts (Photo by Richard Chavez)

Director Gia Coppola (Palo Alto) has signed up two-time Oscar nominee Naomi Watts (Birdman, 21 Grams) and two-time Oscar winner Jessica Lange (Frances, Blue Sky) to star in the dramatic film The Secret Life of the Lonely Doll. The film is based on Jean Nathan’s book and will be adapted for the screen by Merritt Johnson (Temple Grandin, In Treatment). The production is set up at Indigenous Media, the media company created by Jon Avnet, Rodrigo Garcia and Jake Avnet. Bruce Cohen (Silver Linings Playbook, American Beauty) and Jason Weinberg (Ray Donovan, Margin Call) are on board as producers.


“Rodrigo and I have been fans of and have worked with Merritt, Jessica and Naomi before,” said Jon Avnet. “Jean Nathan’s unique piece is a great vehicle for a reunion and chance for Gia Coppola to make a very distinctive film.”

Naomi Watts has The Divergent Series: Allegiant – Part 1, The Bleeder, and The Book of Henry coming to theaters in 2016. Jessica Lange earned rave reviews for four seasons of work on the horror anthology series, American Horror Story, and she recently wrapped up work on the action comedy Wild Oats with Demi Moore and Shirley MacLaine.

The Plot: The Secret Life of the Lonely Doll is the story of Dare Wright, whose best-selling children’s book The Lonely Doll made her a household name in the 1950’s. Forty years later, journalist Jean Nathan in her search for the out-of-print book series, found Wright living in a public hospital in Queens, New York. Nathan’s book pieces together Wright’s bizarre life of glamour and isolation, and her struggle to escape her painful childhood through her art.