‘Bruised’ Trailer: Halle Berry Directs Herself as a Disgraced MMA Fighter

Ryan Lattanzio
·2 min read

Academy Award winner Halle Berry makes her directorial debut with “Bruised,” an upcoming Netflix drama in which she also stars as a washed-up MMA fighter searching for redemption. The movie previously screened as a work in progress at the Toronto International Film Festival, but will finally hit the streaming platform on November 24. Watch the trailer below.

In the film, Halle Berry plays Jackie Justice, who’s seeking to redeem herself and face her demons by getting back in the ring after the child she gave up as an infant unexpectedly reappears in her life. The cast also includes Stephen McKinley Henderson, Adan Canto, Shamier Anderson, and “The Underground Railroad” breakout Sheila Atim. The film is written by Michelle Rosenfarb, making her feature screenplay debut.

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The project was originally developed for Blake Lively and Nick Cassavetes before it went to Halle Berry.

“They gave me the script and I loved the story, but it was written for a twentysomething Irish Catholic white woman,” Berry told Entertainment Weekly in a recent interview. “I couldn’t get it out of my mind, so I thought, is it possible that this could be reimagined for someone like me? Because I think I have a take on it that could actually work — making it about a middle-aged Black woman, someone fighting for a last chance rather than another chance. When you’re young we all get chances, they’re a dime a dozen. But when you’re at a certain stage in life it becomes something more impactful and meaningful, right? So about six months later when [Lively] decided in her own time that it wasn’t for her, I went to the producer, Basil Iwanyk, who I’d just done ‘John Wick 3’ with, and gave him my pitch. And he said, ‘Great, we love that idea. Now go find a director.'”

After being disappointed by a number of offers, Berry went back to her producers and said, “I’ve tried really hard, but what’s in my head, no one else sees. This is going to sound really crazy because it’s crazy for me to even think it, but I think I should direct this.” And the rest is history.

Berry was last seen in front of the camera in “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” followed by “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.”

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