Ahead of the film's March 8, 2024 premiere, Netflix has released the first clip for Damsel, which stars Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown.
In the film, Brown plays Elodie, a young princess who is about to be married off to a rival kingdom that has hidden plans to use her as a sacrifice to pacify a raging dragon in order to pay off an old debt.
Nevertheless, there isn't a prince saving the princess in this high fantasy fairy tale. Rather, she will need to rescue herself from the dragon's clutches. According to rumors, Brown's heroine actually succeeds in slaying the dragon early on in the movie, and the majority of the story revolves around the rival kingdom having to deal with the consequences of her survival.
Joining Brown in the highly-anticipated film are Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Robin Wright (Wonder Woman, House of Cards), Shohreh Aghdashloo (The Expanse), Nick Robinson (Jurassic World), Ray Winstone (The Departed, Black Widow), Brooke Carter (The Peripheral), Mens-Sana Tamakloe (Inception), Sonya Nisa (Red Rose) and Rui M Tomas (Lusitânia).
Bassett plays Lady Bayford, Princess Elodie's stepmother while Wright portrays Queen Isabelle, the mother of the prince Elodie is set to marry.
Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later, Intruders) is directing from a script written by Dan Mazeau (Wrath of the Titans, Fast X).
The film was originally scheduled to be released on October 13, 2013, but was postponed due to the this past summer's, SAG-AFTRA and WGA tandem strikes.
A novelization of the screenplay from Evelyn Skye was published on April 18, 2023 as a Kindle eBook. It currently ranks #162 on the list of Coming of Age fantasy best sellers.
The official synopsis for the film reads, "Damsel is a taut contained thriller about a Princess that thinks she is marrying a prince only to be thrown into a pit where she is being sacrificed to a dragon. Brown plays Elodie, who’s anxiously awaiting her wedding to Prince Henry and feeling pressure from her Father, who needs the money her marriage will bring, be a good, obedient wife.
After marrying Henry, Elodie realizes she’s been tricked into becoming a sacrificial offering for a cruel dragon who intends to eat her. Elodie must fight her way out of the dragon’s lair and eventually saves herself by slaying the Dragon.”