Key Insights

• Heidi Fleiss, known as the Hollywood Madam, ran a high-profile prostitution ring.
• Alana Haim is in talks to star alongside Aubrey Plaza in The Heidi Fleiss Story.
• Fleiss was convicted of federal tax evasion and served 20 months in prison.
• The film is produced by Pinky Promise and marks Leah Rachel’s directorial debut.

The world has no shortage of questionable souls, and among those whose story could chill you to the bone is Heidi Fleiss, otherwise known as the infamous and former Hollywood Madam, who ran a prostitution ring with a high-profile clientele. Previously, we learned that Aubrey Plaza will produce and star in a film based on Fleiss, titled The Heidi Fleiss Story. Today, we’re hearing that Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza) is in talks to star alongside Plaza in the upcoming project.

Alana Haim recently appeared in Paul Thomas Anderson’s critically acclaimed dark comedy One Battle After Another. She also stars alongside Robert Pattinson and Zendaya in Kristoffer Borgli’s comedic romance The Drama. The film focuses on a couple whose relationship is shaken days before their wedding when one partner discovers unsettling truths about the other.

As you may recall, Fleiss was arrested in 1993 on a series of prostitution charges. The media transformed Fleiss’s trial into a circus, splashing the proceedings across television and tabloid rags. Fleiss never revealed her client list, though many celebrities are suspected or confirmed to have used her services. Charlie Sheen once testified to using Fleiss’s service on multiple occasions.

Fleiss was convicted in state court, but the terms didn’t stick because the case was overturned after an appeals court ruled jurors had swapped votes to avoid a deadlock verdict. Fleiss was convicted on federal tax evasion charges and served 20 months in prison. To escape the spotlight, Fleiss moved to Nevada to open a brothel catering to women. The venture never came to pass, and Fleiss opened a parrot sanctuary (which explains why there are so many pictures of her with birds).

The Heidi Fleiss Story comes from Pinky Promise, the studio behind Pamela Anderson’s The Last Showgirl. The project marks Leah Rachel’s directorial debut, who created the Netflix series Chambers. Rachel directs from a script by Bottoms actress Rachel Sennott. Plaza produces through her studio, Evil Hag.

Fleiss’s life has already been explored through various media, including a 1995 documentary by Nick Broomfield and a 2004 USA Network movie, Call Me: The Rise and Fall of Heidi Fleiss, starring Jamie-Lynn Sigler as the ‘Hollywood Madam.’

Fleiss’ Hollywood dealings remain a fascinating topic in today’s Hollywood climate. While Fleiss will likely take her list of clients to the grave, she’s been photographed while canoodling with well-known celebrities in her prime. Have these individuals used her services? What secrets is she hiding in an age when confirmation of using her service could destroy someone’s career in a heartbeat?