Aubrey Plaza to Bring Heidi Fleiss’s Story to Life Against the Backdrop of 1990s Hollywood Scandal

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By Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America

Aubrey Plaza will step into a role that promises to stretch her sharp comedic instincts into darker territory. According to Deadline, she will star in and produce The Heidi Fleiss Story, a biopic about the woman once known as the “Hollywood madam,” from Pinky Promise, the production company behind the Pamela Anderson drama The Last Showgirl. The project offers a mix of dark comedy and high-stakes drama as it takes on one of the most notorious scandals to emerge from Los Angeles in the 1990s.

This announcement also holds personal significance. Plaza, who is of Puerto Rican descent through her father’s side, is making her first major project commitment since the death of her husband, filmmaker Jeff Baena, who died by suicide on January 3, 2025.

A Story Rooted in Scandal and Power

The Heidi Fleiss Story will mark the directorial debut of Leah Rachel, creator of the Netflix series Chambers. Rachel shares scriptwriting duties with Rachel Sennott, whose own HBO series is in the works, and Travis Jackson. Production will take place in Los Angeles this year, with Jessamine Burgum and Kara Durrett producing for Pinky Promise alongside Plaza for her Evil Hag banner.

The film follows Fleiss in the tense days before her trial, weaving through the social circles of Los Angeles as she attempts to manipulate and blackmail her way out of serious charges. Her network of wealthy and influential clients once provided protection, but by 1993, her empire had collapsed under legal pressure. She was arrested and charged with multiple offenses, including pandering, and sentenced to prison. The plot introduces an ambitious young writer named Jaclyn who becomes enmeshed in Fleiss’s last-ditch efforts to save herself.

From The White Lotus to the Courtroom

Plaza’s casting comes at a busy moment in her career. She recently appeared in Ethan Coen’s Honey Don’t and Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis, following acclaimed performances in Sundance’s My Old Ass and the second season of The White Lotus. She will next be seen in Ethan Coen and Tricia Cook’s dark comedy Honey Don’t! which premiered at Cannes and is set for theatrical release through Focus Features on August 22.

In addition to The Heidi Fleiss Story, Plaza will appear in Legendary’s Animal Friends, scheduled for release through Warner Brothers on May 1, 2026. She will also star opposite Susan Sarandon in The Accompanist, an upcoming independent film that marks the directorial debut of Zack Woods.

Revisiting an Infamous Chapter of Los Angeles History

Fleiss rose to notoriety in the 1990s for running a high-profile prostitution ring catering to the wealthiest circles of Los Angeles, including figures in Hollywood. Her name became shorthand for scandal, power, and excess in the entertainment industry. The new film intends to capture not only the sensational aspects of her story but also the calculated maneuvering and risky alliances that defined her final days before facing the court.

Plaza’s involvement, both as an actress and a producer, positions the film to balance biting humor with the tension of a woman whose empire was built on secrecy and influence. For Plaza, this role arrives at a moment when her personal and professional lives intersect in a way that will inevitably shape the depth she brings to a character caught between survival and downfall.

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