Halle Berry's experience in Hollywood goes all the way back to the late 1980s when she played the recurring role of Emily Franklin on the television series Living Dolls. Since then she has gone on to become one of the industry's most notable names - winning an Academy Award and starring in multiple blockbuster hits - but now she is ready to take the next step in her career. Specifically, she is ready to direct her own feature film, and will be doing so by stepping behind the camera for the upcoming MMA drama Bruised.
News of this developing project comes from The Hollywood Reporter, which adds that Halle Berry is also planning to take the lead role in the project. Based on a script by screenwriter Michelle Rosenfarb, Bruised will find Berry as Jackie, an "disgraced" MMA fighter who has to face some serious realities when her six-year-old son, Manny, comes back into her life. Recognizing the importance of giving him a good life, she tries to get on the path to redemption by getting back in shape and trying to become the champion she's always had the potential to be. Basil Iwanyk, a producer behind the John Wick trilogy, is on board to help navigate the feature through his Thunder Road Pictures banner.
Bruised will be Halle Berry's first time directing anything, as she doesn't have any credits in that department on her resume to date, but in the past few years she has been taking a more active role behind the scenes. She produced her first feature film back in 2010 with the disassociation identity disorder drama Frankie & Alice, and was credited as both a co-executive producer and executive producer on her television series Extant. Her last producing credit came last year when she helped make the thriller Kidnap.
Not only does it sound like there is some cool potential in the story of Bruised, it's always exciting to see actors make big moves in their career like this. There are many performers who have turned out to be very talented directors when taking the helm of a project late in their careers - with more recent examples like Ben Affleck, George Clooney, and Denzel Washington - and this could be a tremendous moment for Halle Berry. She certainly has some great experience working with some of the best filmmakers in the business, and it will be great to see how she winds up applying the knowledge of everything she's learned.
Right now Bruised is in the early stages of development, so we'll just have to wait and see how and when it winds up moving forward. In the meantime, fans will next be able to see Halle Berry back up on the big screen next May, as that's when John Wick 3: Parabellum is set to hit theaters.
