Netflix has pulled the plug on its planned gymnastics biopic “Perfect,” after lead actress Millie Bobby Brown stepped away from the project. Sources close to the production say the split came down to creative differences between Brown and the film’s producers, effectively ending a movie that had been in active development and was headed toward cameras this summer.
Brown had been cast as Kerri Strug, the American gymnast whose performance at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics became one of the most emotionally charged moments in sports history. Strug was part of the USA women’s gymnastics team that year, a group that came to be known as “the Magnificent Seven,” and her contribution to clinching the team gold medal left an indelible mark on the Games. Competing on a badly damaged ankle, she completed her vault and stuck the landing, delivering the performance her team needed. The photograph of her touching down cleanly before her ankle gave out, followed by coach Bela Karolyi lifting her off the mat, has since become one of the most recognized images in Olympic history.
Even before Brown’s departure, “Perfect” had navigated a bumpy road. Gia Coppola, who was originally attached to direct, left the project earlier this year and was replaced by filmmaker Cate Shortland. Ronnie Sandahl had been writing the script throughout development. Despite the directorial transition, the film had remained on track until the decision to scrap it entirely following Brown’s exit. Netflix and representatives for Brown have both declined to comment publicly.
The news does not signal any broader rift between Brown and the streaming giant. Netflix has several projects in the pipeline featuring the actress, beginning with “Enola Holmes 3,” the third installment of the popular franchise, which is expected to debut sometime this year. Two additional films also remain in development with Brown attached, “Just Picture It” and “Nineteen Steps,” the latter drawn from Brown’s own debut novel.
The cancellation of “Perfect” arrives not long after a significant chapter closed for both Brown and Netflix. The final season of “Stranger Things” broke records and brought the beloved series to a close with its series finale in December, marking the end of a run that helped define Netflix’s identity as a prestige television destination. With that era behind her, Brown’s next moves will be closely watched, and the strength of her ongoing slate suggests her partnership with Netflix is very much intact, even if one high-profile project has now fallen away.
