The final season of Stranger Things started production about a month ago, but in the meantime, Netflix has the fix for your Eleven withdrawal. The new trailer for Damsel, starring Millie Bobby Brown, has just dropped online. The fantasy action film co-stars Ray Winstone, Nick Robinson, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Brooke Carter, with Angela Bassett and Robin Wright. Brown has also worked with the streamer on the Enola Holmes movies in addition to Damsel. The movie was initially planned for a 2023 release, but Netflix has confirmed that the film will now come out on March 8, 2024.
A summary of the film from Netflix reads,
“As the determined and courageous Elodie, Brown flips the script on the traditional fairy tale as a princess whose happily ever after is brutally interrupted when her Prince Charming sacrifices her to a dragon. Forget what you’ve heard about tales that begin with ‘Once upon a time…’ — this damsel has only herself to rely on.”
The new film promises lots of large-scale action courtesy of director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, who previously helmed the excellent 28 Days Later sequel, 28 Weeks Later. He directs from a script penned by Dan Mazeau. Sue Baden-Powel, Zack Roth, Millie Bobby Brown, Robert Brown, Dan Mazeau and Mark Bomback are on board as executive producers. Joe Roth, Jeff Kirschenbaum and Chris Castaldi are producing along with co-producer Emily Wolfe.
Brown explained what separates her character from traditional fairytale Princesses, “She’s a damsel who doesn’t need to be saved. She saves herself in many ways. It subverts what you expect: You’re expecting the prince to turn around and save her, and… no. Don’t wait for the prince.”
The director, Fresnadillo, tells Tudum, “What I really loved in the script from Dan Mazeau was embracing the idea of a fantasy adventure and a princess and dragon story, but taking it into a place [where] it’s completely upside down. It was a very intense journey that I was so excited to design and to develop. At the core, this is such a beautiful story about a young woman becoming a strong, independent, and empowered adult. Elodie doesn’t have any kind of support. It’s a real survival experience.”