Deadline is reporting that Academy Award nominee Angela Bassett has been cast in an upcoming Netflix fantasy film led by Millie Bobby Brown. The film, titled Damsel, was first announced with Brown attached back in 2020 but not much news has been released since. Bassett and Brown are the only two known to be cast in the film.
The film will see Bassett playing a character named Lady Bayford. She is said to be the stepmother to Brown’s Princess Elodie. The film focuses on Brown’s character after she is married to the “Prince Charming” of another kingdom, only to discover they plan on sacrificing her to a dragon.
Bassett is best known for roles like her performance in What’s Love Got To Do With It, the Tina Turner biopic, that earned her an Academy Award nomination. Since then, she has appeared in many fan-favorite films like the action film Mission: Impossible – Fallout and has played Queen Ramonda in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She is also known for her roles on shows like ER and American Horror Story and in movies like How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Strange Days. Damsel will not be Bassett’s first collaboration with Netflix. Last year, she had a supporting role in the Netflix action-thriller Gunpowder Milkshake, a recurring role on the streamer’s series Bojack Horseman, and two guest star appearances on the series Master of None. The latter role earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. Bassett can next be seen in another Netflix project, lending her voice for the animated film Wendell and Wild.
Damsel will be directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Juan Carlos Fresnadillo based on a script written by Dan Mazeau. His previous directing credits include the classic zombie film 28 Weeks Later and episodes of shows like Falling Water and Salvation. Mazeau’s other writing credits include 2012’s Wrath of the Titans, and he wrote the upcoming Chris Pratt action-comedy Cowboy Ninja Viking.
Damsel will be executive produced by Brown for PCMA Productions alongside Mazeau, Zack Roth, Chris Castaldi, and Sue Baden-Powell. With Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum serving as producers and Emily Wolfe serving as a co-producer.
Currently, no release date has been announced for Damsel. Stay tuned to Collider for any future updates on this project. Read the film’s official synopsis below:
A princess is shocked to discover that she’ll be sacrificed to the kingdom’s sacred cave dragon, after being married to her prince charming. She must survive long enough until someone comes to save her – only no one is coming.
via Collider