Lily Collins to star as Hollywood icon Audrey Hepburn in upcoming biopic

Lily Collins, star of the Netflix hit series “Emily in Paris,” has been cast as screen legend Audrey Hepburn in a new film detailing the production of the 1961 romantic comedy classic “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

The screenplay is being developed by Alena Smith, creator of the Apple TV series “Dickinson.” Smith is basing the script on “Fifth Avenue, 5 AM,” a non-fiction book by Sam Wasson. A director for the project has not yet been announced.

The upcoming film explores the behind-the-scenes drama of the original 1961 production, which was a loose adaptation of Truman Capote’s novella. Capote famously lobbied Paramount Pictures to cast Marilyn Monroe in the lead role, but the studio eventually selected Hepburn against the author's wishes.

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s” went on to become a major commercial and critical success, grossing $14 million worldwide and winning two Academy Awards.

Producers say the new project starring Collins will provide the “first full story” of the movie’s creation. The narrative is expected to cover everything from pre-production conflicts to incidents that occurred on set.

The casting of Lily Collins to portray Audrey Hepburn represents a calculated strategic alignment, bridging the gap between Hollywood’s Golden Age and the modern streaming era. While the physical resemblance and shared "gamine" aesthetic offer an immediate visual shorthand for audiences, the move leverages Collins’ established brand equity. Her performance in "Emily in Paris"—portraying an optimistic American ingénue navigating a glamorous European capital—functions as a contemporary, if less complex, parallel to the Holly Golightly archetype.

The project follows a broader industry trend of "meta-cinema," where studios monetize legacy intellectual property by dramatizing the behind-the-scenes history of their own classics. By narrowing its scope to a specific inflection point—the production of "Breakfast at Tiffany’s"—the film shifts from a traditional biopic into a study of studio-era friction. This framework allows for an exploration of the creative tensions between author Truman Capote and Paramount Pictures regarding casting decisions, as well as the promotional strategies employed by the studio to "sanitize" the source material’s more provocative elements for 1960s mainstream consumption.

The primary risk for the production lies in the execution of Hepburn’s singular "it-factor," which remains a high bar for any contemporary performer. Beyond the technical challenges of performance, the film must navigate significant cultural headwinds. Producers will be tasked with reconciling the original 1961 film’s more controversial legacy elements with modern social sensibilities, all while operating under the intense scrutiny of a global fanbase protective of the Hepburn brand.

Audrey Hepburn remains a timeless global icon whose classic beauty has shaped the aesthetic sensibilities of generations. Within the Vietnamese-American community—from the boutiques of Little Saigon to the ubiquitous portraits found in nail salons—her image is the ultimate benchmark for elegance. For many in the diaspora, Hepburn represents a gold standard of sophistication and grace that continues to define our collective sense of style.