Summary
- Halle Berry’s movie The Mothership might not be released on Netflix due to the need for substantial reshoots, and its over-long post-production.
- The film missed its original release date due to pandemic and Hollywood strikes.
- Even though the movie doesn’t have a large following, its cancelation has sparked complaints about Netflix’s frequent project cancelations.
It seems that the trend of scrapping movies that have already completed production has now spread to Netflix, with new rumors suggesting Halle Berry’s new movie, The Mothership, will not be released by the streamer. While the last few years have seen many movies being denied a release in favor of recouping money through tax write-offs, Berry’s latest flick has a different reason for allegedly being dropped in a box and pushed under a desk.
According to Jeff Sneider’s The InSneider newsletter, The Mothership was originally set to be released in 2023, but like many movies that were originally shot between the pandemic and Hollywood strikes, it missed that release date. The length of time since the movie wrapped filming is said to be part of the reason it will not be moving ahead. Sneider’s report suggests that Berry’s sci-fi movie would require “substantial reshoots,” and due to the cost of this, and the fact that it is two years since filming officially ended on the film, it is not feasible for it to go ahead.
Previously, Netflix released a synopsis of the movie, which reads as pretty standard sci-fi fare. The film was described as:
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.
Written and directed by Bridge of Spies’ Matt Charman, the film also starred Molly Parker, Omari Hardwick, Sydney Lemmon, John Ortiz and Paul Guilfoyle. This would have been Berry’s second movie with Netflix, following the release of Bruised, which was released in 2020. Still on the cards is The Union, in which she stars alongside Mark Wahlberg and J.K. Simmons.
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Netflix Hit the Cancelation Trail Again
Although the circumstances surrounding the cancelation of The Mothership seem to be a unique case, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t led to more complaints about Netflix’s frequency when it comes to dumping projects.
Although data has previously suggested that Netflix’s rate of cancelation is quite a way below others such as Max, it seems that they tend to cancel shows and movies that have the biggest fan bases, and the largest social media presence. While they have saved some popular shows, such as Lucifer and Manifest, others like Warrior Nun have led to long campaigns and petitions on X and Instagram that refuse to let go of projects that fans just cannot accept have been dropped by the streamer.
Although Berry’s The Mothership does not have that kind of following, the cancelation will still dredge up the usual wave of past gripes and calls for Netflix, and others, to stop canceling projects that have completed most of its production. An official announcement about the status of the movie has yet to be made by Netflix.
