Halle Berry's latest film, The Mothership, has hit a roadblock after Netflix reportedly pulled the plug on its release.
While the streaming giant typically removes completed titles from its library, it has completely cancelled the release of the science-fiction drama in which Berry plays a lead role.
Completed in 2021, the film faced multiple delays, pushing its release indefinitely.
Despite being featured in Netflix's 2024 film releases trailer, the flick encountered setbacks related to post-production, which mirrored Warner Bros's move with Batgirl. Now, much like its counterpart, the film is destined to gather dust on the shelf.
The initial report of the film's canning surfaced in The InSneider newsletter, claiming the decision stemmed from the child actors had grown too much for “significant reshoots” to be feasible.
Penned and directed by Oscar-nominated Matthew Charman, known for 2016’s Bridge of Spies, the movie revolves around Berry's character, a single mother who discovers an extra-terrestrial object on her farm, revealing ties to her husband's disappearance a year earlier.
Alongside Berry, the film also featured Molly Parker, John Ortiz, Omari Hardwick, and Paul Guilefoyle.
The Standard has contacted Netflix for comment.
Along with The Mothership and Batgirl, another release that won't ever see the silver screen is Coyote vs Acme, a $70 million film starring John Cena that it has already wrapped, for tax reasons.
In November, it was revealed that Warner Bros shelved the project to claim an estimated $30m tax write-down, a financial move that reduces the value of an asset for tax and accounting purposes, despite the action/animation hybrid movie testing well with trial audiences.
Will Forte and Lana Condor are also in the film, which was directed by Dave Green. Warner Bros, the studio behind Barbie and the Dark Knight franchise, also wrote off completed films Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt.
“With the re-launch of Warner Bros Pictures Animation in June, the studio has shifted its global strategy to focus on theatrical releases,” it said.
“With this new direction, we have made the difficult decision not to move forward with Coyote vs Acme. We have tremendous respect for the filmmakers, casts and crew, and are grateful for their contributions to the film.”
In the film, Wile E Coyote, the Looney Tunes character, takes legal action against US supermarket chain Acme after its products did not prevent his repeated humiliation in pursuit of nemesis Road Runner. It is based on a New York Times article of the same name by Ian Frazier, released in 1990.
The cancellation sparked a negative backlash online. It has been reported that Warner Bros has recorded a $417 million net loss in its quarterly earnings. All three shelved projects were green lit by Jason Kilar before being pulled by his successor as chief executive, David Zaslav.
