LOS ANGELES: Netflix has shelved its planned Olympic gymnastics drama Perfect after actor Millie Bobby Brown exited the project over creative differences, according to Variety.
Brown had been cast to play Olympic gymnast Kerri Strug, a member of the celebrated 1996 “Magnificent Seven” U.S. women’s gymnastics team. The film was set to be directed by Cate Shortland from a screenplay by Ronnie Sandahl.
The project had already undergone a change in leadership, with original director Gia Coppola departing earlier and being replaced by Shortland, the report said.
First announced in September last year, Perfect also had Brown attached as a producer through her own banner, alongside Nik Bower of Riverstone Pictures and Thomas Benski of Magna Studios.
Strug became an iconic figure during the 1996 Summer Olympics when, aged 18, she completed a vault despite an injured ankle, helping secure team gold for the United States. She collapsed after landing and was famously carried off by her coach, later rejoining her teammates at the medal ceremony in one of the most memorable moments in Olympic history. Her achievement brought widespread recognition, including television appearances, a parody on Saturday Night Live, and a feature on a Wheaties cereal box, according to Variety.
After retiring from gymnastics, Strug worked as a primary school teacher and later held positions within the White House and the Justice Department.
Brown recently completed five seasons of Stranger Things, which she began filming at the age of 12. She is due to appear in Enola Holmes 3 this summer and has finished work on the romantic comedy Just Picture It, co-starring Gabrielle LaBelle.
She is also developing another Netflix project, Nineteen Steps, based on her debut novel, the report added.
(With inputs from ANI)