Millie Bobby Brown is set to star in Netflix’s latest dark fantasy offering- Damsel, directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and written by Dan Mazeau. The trailer for the film was made live as a part of Netflix’s Geeked Week initiative, releasing a host of trailers and teasers for sci-fi and fantasy properties, such as Rebel Moon, Blood of Zeus, Arcane Season 2, Avatar: The Last Airbender and Yu Yu Hakusho.
The story revolves around Princess Elodie, who is taken hostage by a dragon to complete a long tradition of ritual sacrifice to safeguard the kingdom. However, no knight is coming to the rescue of the titular damsel, so she must rescue herself, in an interesting twist on the classic fairytale trope.
Damsel is distressing some fans
While the film has promised a breathtaking journey to its fans, with extremely talented artists in front and behind the camera, fans are all the more skeptical about what the film is about. The straightforward aesthetic was unable to impress fans from the first look of the film, revealed through its first trailer.
Can’t lie this kinda looks boring 🫠
— chuma🐰 (@BaldacciInc) November 11, 2023
why does this exist
— Zack Cunningham (@zackcunningham_) November 11, 2023
Pass on the GOT knock off
— AJ (@JBOSS3291) November 11, 2023
However, some fans of Brown have taken to the internet to share their excitement about the new film, not only praising Brown for taking on challenging roles but also gushing over the supporting cast, including Angela Basset, Robin Wright, and Ray Winstone.
Loving the challenging artistic and intelligent projects that Stranger Things doesn’t let her pursue.
— Camille Troussard (@CamTroussard) November 11, 2023
Will be seated for Robin Wright, Angela Bassett, and Shohreh Aghdashloo.
— Mia 👻🔪 (@fkthisfranchise) November 11, 2023
OHHH KING FATHER NICK ROBINSON
— toni ☾⋆｡𖦹 °✩ (@an0tnia) November 12, 2023
Damsel might have what it takes to become an A1 property for Netflix. Given how closely Brown has worked with Netflix, and how many hits she has delivered for the streaming service (Stranger Things, Enola Holmes), it is safe to say that Damsel might be well on its way to beginning its own franchise.
Netflix is looking for a new IP
Netflix has recently been investing in big names and acclaimed directors. The vision here is clear: Netflix is looking to create franchises of its own, much like how Disney and Amazon have. The most prominent of these are the Enola Holmes films, starring Brown, The upcoming Rebel Moon film series (for which, director Zack Snyder envisions a massive IP on the scale of Star Wars), and The Witcher series.
Franchise filmmaking has been a part of Hollywood since the industry was in its infancy. However, with the advent of streaming, franchise building has gone beyond sequels and spin-offs. Not only is content now expected to be readily available but it is also expected to be in large quantities. Netflix can benefit from having multiple bankable franchises, which it can use to keep its waning audiences engaged.
See the trailer for Damsel:
