About two years ago, we heard that Halle Berry had signed on to star in a horror movie called Mother Land, with genre regular Alexandre Aja on board to direct. Last year, the project went into production under a new title, Never Let Go. The finished film was given a theatrical release on September 20th (you can read our review HERE)… and it didn’t exactly set the box office on fire. It has only earned $21 million worldwide. Now it’s time for the movie to receive a PVOD release, so maybe it will be more successful when people are able to watch it in the comfort of their own homes. Lionsgate has announced they will be giving Never Let Go a Premium Video on Demand and Premium Electronic Sell-Through release on October 11th. A press release notes that the film “will be available to buy for $24.99 and to rent for $19.99 (for a 48-hour period) on participating digital platforms from which movies are purchased, including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Fandango at Home, and more.”
Berry is joined in the cast by Percy Daggs IV (The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey) and Anthony B. Jenkins (Florida Man). Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, and Dan Levine of 21 Laps (the production company behind Stranger Things and Free Guy, among other things) are producing the film with Aja. Berry is executive producing alongside Holly Jeter and 21 Laps’ Emily Morris. Chelsea Kujawa and Scott O’Brien are overseeing the project for Lionsgate.
Scripted by KC Coughlin and Ryan Grassby, Never Let Go follows a mother (Berry) and her fraternal twin sons (Daggs and Jenkins) who have been tormented by an evil spirit for years and are convinced to never let go of their family’s protective bond. But when one of the boys questions if the evil is real, their connection is severed, triggering a terrifying fight for survival. Here’s a different version of the synopsis: As Evil takes over the world beyond their front doorstep, the only protection for a mother (Berry) and her twin sons is their house and their family’s protective bond. Needing to stay connected at all times – even tethering themselves with ropes – they cling to one another, urging each other to never let go. But when one of the boys questions if the evil is real, the ties that bind them together are severed, triggering a terrifying fight for survival.
Aja’s previous directing credits include High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes, Mirrors, Piranha 3D, Horns, The 9th Life of Louis Drax, Crawl, and Oxygen. We first heard about Never Let Go (then known as Mother Land) over three years ago, when it was announced that Mark Romanek had signed on to direct the film. There were eight years between Romanek’s first film One Hour Photo and his second feature Never Let Me Go, and it looked like this was going to be his third movie. Eleven years (at the time) after Never Let Me Go. But then Romanek dropped out, Aja signed on, and the project got a title that’s quite similar to the title of Romanek’s second feature. Now we continue to wait and see if Romanek is going to make a third feature.
Will you be watching Never Let Go when it gets its PVOD release? Let us know by leaving a comment below – and if you caught the movie during its theatrical run, let us know what you thought of it.