Becoming Her – Untold Marilyn Monroe Story Seeks Production And Financing Partner

The Project

Hook:

Everyone thinks they know her. The blonde. The smile. The tragedy. But the woman behind the icon spent her whole life trying to tell a different story — and no one let her finish it. Until now.

Concept:

A prestige biographical drama drawn directly from Marilyn Monroe’s own diary entries, letters, and autobiography — not the myth, her words. Fast-paced and intimate in tone, it sits closest to Elvis (2022) and Judy (2019): the kind of biopic that can be critically acclaimed and cross over to mass audiences. Marilyn remains one of the most globally recognised faces in history, with a fanbase that spans generations and a story that has never been told on her terms. That’s the commercial case and the cultural one.

Format:

Feature Film · Biographical Drama · Standalone · Awards-season positioning

Comparables:

✓ Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) — 18× return on $50M budget · all-time highest-grossing music biopic

✓ Elvis (2022) — 3.4× return on $85M budget · #2 highest-grossing music biopic ever

✓ Judy (2019) — $46M worldwide · Oscar win for lead actress · women-led prestige biopic benchmark

What’s Ready

IP & Materials:

✓ Completed 150-page screenplay — sourced from Monroe’s own diaries, letters, and autobiography

✓ Historian endorsement — screenplay validated by Hollywood historian Tina Imel

✓ 3.7M+ social media following built organically around this project (@jbunzie / @MarilynFilm)

✓ 11,000+ petition signatures with email capture — documented, named audience demand

✓ Yahoo Entertainment coverage of project and social following

✓ Production company (CK Films) attached — full lifecycle production and marketing capability

✓ Full pitch deck and materials available on request

The Team:

✓ Jessica Vill — Screenwriter & Producer. Published author, historian, and content creator with 3.7M+ followers; widely recognised for her Marilyn Monroe expertise

✓ Ethan Felizzari-Castillo — Producer. Founder & CEO of CK Productions; marketing lead on wide-release campaigns including work with Black Bear Pictures, Fathom Events, and Roadside Attractions’ BAFTA & Emmy-nominated documentary Beyond Utopia

✓ Rosie Dean — Producer. Creative Director at CK Productions; NYU Tisch drama graduate; award-nominated editor and performer with credits across narrative and branded projects

✓ Juanes Montoya — Producer. Actor and producer with HBO credits (Fantasmas); editorial producer for Vogue and Vanity Fair; experience across independent film and television

The Opportunity

The Ask:

✓ Financing and production partnership — structure open

✓ Open to equity investment, gap financing, and co-financing partnerships

✓ Participation includes producer/executive producer credit and meaningful backend participation

Why Now:

The cultural appetite for Marilyn Monroe has never been more documented — 11,000 people signed a petition specifically calling for this film before a single frame has been shot. The post-Blonde backlash has left a clear gap in the market: audiences want Monroe’s story told with accuracy and humanity, not exploitation. This project has the source material, the social proof, and the creative team to deliver exactly that.

De-Risked From Day One:

✓ Built-in audience — 11,000+ petition signatories with email capture; 3.7M social following already engaged with this project specifically

✓ Historian-validated screenplay — sourced from Monroe’s own words, reducing IP and authenticity risk

✓ Proven comparable performance — Elvis and Bohemian Rhapsody demonstrate the ceiling for prestige music/icon biopics at scale

✓ Experienced production company attached — CK Films brings full in-house production, editorial, and marketing infrastructure from day one

Most Interesting Project For

The Financier Backing Prestige IP

You invest in biographical drama with awards potential and a globally recognised subject — and you know that Marilyn Monroe’s name is its own marketing budget.

The Production Partner Seeking a Women-Led Slate

You are actively developing or acquiring projects with female protagonists, female creative leads, and a built-in female audience — this project has all three, with documented demand to prove it.

The Distributor Who Wants Early Access

You acquire prestige biopics for theatrical and festival positioning, and you want a seat at the table before cast announcements and festival selection change the conversation.

Interested in this project, please submit your interest through the form – Click Here.