Halle Berry keeps punching her way to the top. Riding high on the success from her breakout directorial feature Bruised, the actress has signed on with Netflix for a slew of new films in which she will both star and produce, Variety reports. According to the streaming service, Bruised not only hit the platform this week as #1 in the United States, but also gained the title of #2 top English language film worldwide, pulling in the top pick in over 70 countries.
The film, which had its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, follows the life of washed-up UFC fighter Jackie “Pretty Bull” Justice (Berry). Jackie has been out of the world of professional fighting for years but tosses herself back into the ring to gain her name and career back. While attempting to pull herself back up and regain her lost sense of self, her estranged young son, Manny (Danny Boyd), re-enters the fighter’s life. The one-time champion must now juggle not only her return to fighting but also step up for the particularly challenging role of mother.
Of her work on Bruised and teaming up with the streaming service’s film head, Scott Stuber, and co-CEO Ted Sarandos, Oscar award-winning Berry said, “My directorial debut, Bruised, was a labor of love and I knew that Scott and Ted would treat it with great care. The Netflix team has not only been collaborative and creative, but extremely passionate and a delight to work with. I am beyond grateful for the partnership and look forward to telling more stories together.”
Stuber returned the praise and gratitude by adding, “There are few people with a career like Halle Berry. She’s an award winning actress, producer and as audiences saw this past week, she’s an incredible director. We’re thrilled to be in her corner as she delivers power in front of and behind the camera in Bruised and look forward to telling more stories together.”
Fans of the Monster’s Ball actress will also be excited to know that Berry is already signed on to appear in two upcoming productions that will occur outside the newly-penned deal. Berry will executive produce and star in The Mothership, a new sci-fi feature under the direction of Matt Charman who also wrote the film. She’s also set to appear in Our Man From New Jersey starring opposite Mark Wahlberg in what has been described as a “blue-collar James Bond” film.
We are seeing a lot of critical acclaim in Berry’s future, as her docket looks to be as full as ever. While nothing else is known about what the features under this new deal entail, we will be sure to keep you posted with all things Halle Berry.
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