Lifetime has given the green light to new psychological thriller ‘Nellie Bly’, inspired by the life of groundbreaking 19th century journalist, Elizabeth Cochran Seaman.

Golden Globe® and Emmy® nominated actress Christina Ricci (‘Monster’) plays Seaman, an investigative reporter who feigned mental illness in order to be institutionalised at the notorious Women’s Lunatic Asylum in New York, allowing her to expose the deplorable conditions and mistreatment of patients from the inside. Publishing under the name Nellie Bly, Seaman was a real-life hero whose exposure inspired a global reformation of mental health care.

Eyed for a 2018 debut, the movie will deliver a fictionalised account of actual events surrounding Nellie’s stay. Ricci is joined by Judith Light (‘Transparent’) who will play Matron Grady, the head nurse who tortured her patients into submission. Josh Bowman (‘Revenge’) will play the sympathetic Dr Josiah.