Halle Berry’s MMA Film ‘Bruised’ Releases On November 24 On Netflix

By Fight Sports Aug 6, 2021

Halle Berry’s mixed martial arts film will be available to stream in just a few months.

Berry, an Oscar-winning actress, announced Thursday on Twitter that her directorial film debut, “Bruised,” will be released on November 24 on Netflix. She will also star in the film as Jackie “Justice,” an MMA fighter seeking redemption in the octagon while also fighting for custody of her young son.

After 3 years in the making, I am THRILLED to finally announce “Bruised” is coming to @netflix globally Nov. 24. This project is so special to me, not only because it’s my directorial debut, but because the fight game, especially MMA, is a sport that I absolutely love (1/2) pic.twitter.com/tHNVyZ5E4G

— Halle Berry (@halleberry) August 5, 2021

Women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko will co-star as the main rival to Berry’s character.

But to get into her MMA role, the actress tapped recent UFC featherweight title challenger Brian Ortega to help train her. Ortega (14-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) helped train her jiu-jitsu chops.

Berry has revealed that the project is special to her, not only because she’s debuting as director, but also because MMA is a sport she “absolutely” loves. She convinced the producers to change Jackie – her character – to a middle-aged Black woman instead of a 25-year-old Irish Catholic girl.

“It’s a movie that got sat down in my lap three years ago, and it’s one of those stories that just gripped me. I understood the depth of this woman’s pain,” she added. “I understood what she was fighting for. It’s very redemptive.”

The film first virtually premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival. In April 2020, Berry explained the plot on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon.

“It’s a movie about sort of a disgraced MMA fighter sort of in the middle towards the end of her career, and it’s sort of the journey she goes through to get her son back that she left when he was very young, and then get her sense of self and her career back,” Berry said.