'The Girl from Plainville': Elle Fanning stars as Michelle Carter in texting-suicide drama

UPDATE: "The Girl from Plainville" will premiere March 29 with the series first three episodes available to stream, Hulu announced Feb. 8.

Elle Fanning (“The Great”) plays the title role in the upcoming eight-episode true-crime series “The Girl from Plainville,” which is based on the Michelle Carter texting-suicide case that captured international attention. The series will air on Hulu this spring with a date to be announced, Hulu said in a press release.

Fanning stars as Carter, the King Philip Regional High School senior from Plainville who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2017 for telling her suicidal boyfriend, Conrad Roy III, to kill himself in text messages that included, “Just do it, babe.”

Carter, now 25, was released from Bristol County jail in Dartmouth in January 2020, after serving 11 months of a 15-month sentence. She was let out early because of good behavior. Her probation ends Aug. 1.

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“The Girl from Plainville” is an adaptation of the Esquire article of the same name written by Jesse Barron. It explores Carter’s relationship with Roy and the events that led up to his July 2014 suicide in Fairhaven. Colton Ryan, who played another suicidal teen in the film version of the Broadway hit “Dear Evan Hansen,” stars as Conrad Roy III.

Carter and Roy both lived in Massachusetts but met in Florida in 2012 while on separate family vacations. Their relationship consisted mainly of texting and other electronic communications. Both teens struggled with depression. Carter had also been treated for anorexia, and Roy had made earlier suicide attempts.

Carter’s trial raised thorny legal questions about free speech and provided a disturbing look at teenage depression, anxiety and suicide.

The series was shot on location in and around Savannah, Georgia.

Joining Fanning in the series are Chloë Sevigny as Lynn Roy, Cara Buono as Gail Carter, Kai Lennox as David Carter and Norbert Leo Butz as Conrad “Co” Roy II.

The series was written by Liz Hannah (“Mindhunter”) and Patrick Macmanus (“Dr. Death”). Lisa Cholodenko ("The Kids Are All Right,") Zetna Fuentes ("The Deuce," "Ray Donovan") and Pippa Bianco ("Euphoria") share directing duties.

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The texting-suicide case has already been the subject of a handful of movies and documentaries.

In 2018, Lifetime aired the movie “Conrad & Michelle: If Words Could Kill.” The case was highlighted again in a 2019 Dateline NBC segment, "Reckless." That same year, HBO relased a two-part documentary based on the trial “I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth v. Michelle Carter,” which is available to watch via video on demand. Discovery Plus debuted the documentary "Michelle Carter: Love, Texts & Death" this past September and Reelz ran its documentary "The Suicide Texts: The Friends Speak" last November.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.

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Reach Dana Barbuto at dbarbuto@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Elle Fanning stars as Michelle Carter in Hulu's texting-suicide series