Netflix has made the decision to halt post-production on the Halle Berry-starring sci-fi film, The Mothership, resulting in its cancellation.
The film “The Mothership” was scheduled to be released in 2022, but due to several delays, it has been cancelled altogether. The streamer had previously released a sneak peek of the film in a trailer for their upcoming releases in 2021.
According to The Wrap, sources have stated that the decision was not made easily. It is reported that the movie needed extensive reshoots, which would have been costly and challenging due to the aging of child actors.
British Oscar nominee Matthew Charman wrote and directed this film. He also co-wrote the script for Steven Spielberg’s 2015 drama Bridge of Spies and the romantic film Suite Francaise starring Michelle Williams.
Other movies have been cancelled in a similar fashion, including the $90 million DC movie Batgirl, which was scrapped during post-production, and the announcement last year that Coyote vs Acme would not be released despite being finished. These decisions were made by studio Warners in order to take advantage of a tax write-down. However, Coyote vs Acme, a film featuring live-action and animation and starring John Cena, has since been offered to other studios.
Netflix chose not to release two finished movies, namely The Inheritance and House/Wife, last year. However, they did give permission for the creators to find alternative distribution methods.
Netflix had a strong Q4 report, adding more than 13 million new subscribers and surpassing expectations. The streaming platform also had a successful showing during the announcement of the 2020 Oscar nominations, receiving a total of 18 nominations.
The Mothership starred Oscar-winner Berry as a single mother who finds an extraterrestrial object on her farm. Berry has worked with Netflix before on the release of Bruised, her directorial debut, and will next be seen in the streamer’s action thriller The Union alongside Mark Wahlberg.
Both Berry and Netflix have not released an official statement.
Source: theguardian.com
