Halle Berry’s new movie just got an official release date. The 54-year-old actress went to social media on Thursday to announce that her new MMA film Bruised will be released on Netflix on Nov. 24. Entertainment Weekly was the first to report the news.
“After 3 years in the making, I am THRILLED to finally announce Bruised is coming to [Netflix] globally Nov. 24,” Berry wrote on Twitter. “This project is so special to me, not only because it’s my directorial debut, but because the fight game, especially MMA, is a sport that I absolutely love and a genre that has always been winning. Everyone loves to root for the underdog, as we’ve all been there.” Berry also thanked UFC and Invicta Fighting Championships for their support.
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Berry plays Jackie Justice, a disgraced MMA fighter who is looking for redemption while fighting for custody of her young son. The film technically made its debut last year as it was shown at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival.
“I knew as written it could not be me, but what I loved about the story is it was classic fight film,” Berry said at the film festival, per Entertainment Weekly. “I loved the fractured brokenness of this character, and I love to see a film that’s about redemption. I want to see the human spirit soar, I want to see someone rise above obstacles and still be standing at the end of the day.”
With this being her directorial debut, Berry admitted she was “scared s—less” about directing a movie for the first time. “Fear and worry are healthy,” she said. “If you’re not having some sense of worry, I don’t think you really care about doing your best.” Originally, Berry wasn’t supposed to direct the film, but she couldn’t find the right candidate. When she talked to producer Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, that’s when she decided to tell the story of Jackie Justice.
“I said to her, ‘No one understands what’s in my head, and she said, ‘Why don’t you do it?’” Berry said. “I slept on it overnight and I woke up thinking ‘Yes, I can.’ I knew I’d worked harder than I ever worked in my entire life on a character, and the last thing I wanted was for all of that work to be for naught and mistakenly fall into the hands of a visionary who didn’t see it quite the way I saw it.” Bruised will be Berry’s first movie since starring as Sofia in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum in 2019.
