Netflix ‘cancels’ release of completed Halle Berry film ‘because of child actors’

New movie follows in footsteps of doomed superhero film ‘Batgirl’

Halle Berry has starred in a film that Netflix will no longer be releasing, it’s been claimed.

While the streaming service usually removes completed titles from its library, it’s now decided to completely “cancel” the release of a film that Berry had completed work on.

The Monster’s Ball actor initially finished the science-fiction drama The Mothership is 2021 – but the film has allegedly had its release “pulled” indefinitely following several delays that pushed the project back by years.

Berry’s film, which was featured in the streamer’s trailer compiling the big film releases of 2024, was delayed several times due post-production requirements. It is now being reported that, in a similar vein to Warner Bros’s Batgirl,The Mothership will remain on the shelf.

News the film was being cancelled was first reported by The InSneider newsletter, where it was claimed the decision stemmed from the fact that the child actors had grown up too much for some “significant” reshoots to work.

The Mothership was written and directed by Matthew Charman, who was Oscar nominated for his Bridge of Spies script in 2016. It starred Berry as a single mother who discovers an extraterrestrial object on her farm, which she learns has ties to her husband’s disappearance one year before.

Molly Parker, John Ortiz, Omari Hardwick and Paul Guilefoyle were also in the film.

The Independent has contacted Netflix for comment.

Netflix users are expressing surprise that the streaming service is the latest distributor to fully cancel a film after controversies surrounding Batgirl and, more recently, Coyote vs Acme, which had their releases pulled indefinitely despite being completed.

While Coyote vs Acme may still see the light of day, due to interest from other studios, Batgirl – which cost the studio $90m – will remain on the shelf.

Halle Berry (Getty Images for Fast Company)

Leslie Grace, who starred in the lead role of Barbara Gordon, and the film’s directors, Bad Boys for Life‘s Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, expressed their shock at the news in respective statements.

There were several rumours surrounding Warner Bros’ decision, with a spokesperson saying at the time: “The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max”.

However, Warner Bros CEO David Zaslav later went on to say: “We’re not going to launch a movie until it’s ready. We’re not going to launch a movie to make a quarter, and we’re not going to put a movie out unless we believe in it.”