Netflix is being accused of “Batgirling” Halle Berry’s sci-fi The Mothership after reports that the streamer has scrapped the film.
Halle Berry was due to star in The Mothership, a sci-fi thriller backed by Netflix. The film, directed by Matt Charman, was due to be released in 2023 but didn’t see the light of day – and now it looks as though it never will.
According to Jeff Sneider’s newsletter, Netflix has scrapped the release altogether in favour of a tax write-off.
Does that sound familiar? Warner Bros. Discovery recently came under fire for shelving the already completed Batgirl, while Coyote Vs. Acme is currently trying to find a studio to release the film.
Sneider cited trouble with a lengthy post-production schedule and “significant reshoots” as part of the reason Netflix have decided to abandon ship.
Molly Parker, Omari Hardwick, Sydney Lemmon, John Ortiz, and Paul Guilfoyle were also due to star alongside Berry. The cast also included a lot of young actors who have aged quite noticeably since the filming wrapped some two years ago. This would have obviously made reshoots troublesome, but still, it’s a disappointing fate.
Comicbook.com state that a previously released synopsis for the film says that it was: “A sci-fi adventure that follows Sara Morse (Halle Berry) one year since her husband mysteriously vanished from their rural farm. When she discovers a strange, extraterrestrial object underneath their home, Sara and her kids embark on a race to find their husband, father and most importantly – the truth.”
Charman previously helmed Treason for Netflix. The spy thriller series starred Charlie Cox as the new head of MI6 after his boss is poisoned. Charman also penned the script for Steven Spielberg’s Bridge Of Spies. The Mothership would have been his directorial debut.
If the situation changes – if Netflix sells the film for someone else to finish and release, say – we’ll let you know.