Netflix is delaying six movies from 2023 to next year, including the fantasy epic “Damsel” starring Millie Bobby Brown and the comedy “A Family Affair” starring Nicole Kidman.
Netflix has decided to postpone six of its upcoming films to 2024. Several feature and series projects have been delayed by different studios in recent months, due to strikes by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA). As actors and writers fight for fair compensation, many upcoming productions have been stalled. In addition, stars cannot promote productions hit by the strike, which reduces the ability of currently airing projects to reach audiences.
According Digital Spy, six Netflix titles have been delayed to 2024, including Damsel starring Millie Bobby Brown, which was originally scheduled for release on October 13. Other delayed titles are A Family Affair with Zac Efron and Nicole Kidman, Lift with Kevin Hart, Players with Damon Wayans Jr. and Gina Rodriguez, Shirley with Regina King, and Spaceman with Adam Sandler. It is unclear whether these postponements are a reaction to the two ongoing strikes.
What will be left on Netflix in 2023?
Whether or not these titles are delayed because of the strikes, this kind of massive change is surprising from Netflix. Typically, the streaming service prepares content months in advance, so even in times of disruption like strikes, it has a “mattress of content.”
This was seen in 2020, when Netflix continued to release new titles despite production shutdowns around the world at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, including season 1 of Bridgerton and The Prom, which both aired in December of that year.
This landmark decision is particularly surprising given this precedent. However, this does not mean that Netflix will not have anything to broadcast until the end of the year 2023. As of this writing, many films and TV series are still on the program, including the thriller Agent Stone spy starring Gal Gadot, Jamie Dornan and Alia Bhatt, due out August 11.
Other titles slated for 2023 include Mike Flanagan’s The Fall of the House of Usher, Spy Kids’ reboot with Spy Kids: Armageddon, and Chicken Run: Menace of the Nuggets. Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon also hasn’t changed its scheduled December 22 release date. For now, Netflix still has a large number of titles for 2023, but that could change if the strikes were to drag on.