The partnership between Millie Bobby Brown and Netflix has already reaped huge rewards, but even the long-standing association between the two parties hasn’t stopped fantasy action epic Damsel from quietly being removed from the 2023 release calendar.
The first footage from 28 Weeks Later director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s sword-swinging adventure set the internet alight when it was unveiled as part of the streaming service’s sizzle reel for every major original movie set to arrive before the end of the year, but it’s been shuffled off to 2024 without anyone even noticing.
The company confirmed to What’s On Netflix that Damsel ““will not be released in 2023,” but refused to give any reasons as to why. Shooting wrapped in July of 2022, so you’d imagine that things are very far along in terms of reaching picture lock, and the Enola Holmes duology has shown that putting Brown front-and-center in a genre film is a guaranteed viewership bonanza.
Until official reasons are given, all we can do is speculate, but you can guarantee that the actress’ legion of fans won’t be happy they’re being deprived of watching her single-handedly take on a dragon for what could feasibly be 12 months and beyond.
On the plus side, the Russo brothers’ sci-fi The Electric State has wrapped shooting and cameras are expected to begin rolling on the fifth and final season of Stranger Things this summer, so it’s not as if there isn’t plenty of Brown-backed content coming down the pipeline, even if there’s going to be a bit of a wait.