Netflix has had an increasingly cavalier attitude about cancelling shows in recent years, and now the streamer appears to be picking up on another unfortunate trend. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix shelved two completed movies, The Inheritance and House/Wife, that were set to debut on the streaming service in the coming months.
The report claims that Netflix no longer plans to distribute either film. As such, the filmmakers are currently shopping their respective movies around to other potential buyers.
Netflix shelves two completed movies
THR could not figure out why Netflix changed its mind, but did note that the streamer is looking to spend a similar amount on content in 2023 while focusing heavily on profits. This resulted in fewer feature films, as the company’s 2023 movie slate revealed.
If this sounds familiar, it’s probably because HBO Max similarly canned a few finished movies last year. The major difference is that Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt never saw the light of day and seemingly never will. At the very least, the creative teams behind The Inheritance and House/Wife will have a chance to release their projects elsewhere.
The Inheritance, directed by Alejandro Brugués, stars Peyton List (Cobra Kai) and Austin Stowell (A Friend of the Family). House/Wife, directed by Danis Goulet, stars Alice Braga (I Am Legend), Kris Holden-Ried (Departure), and Sarah Gadon (Cosmopolis).
“On the eve of his 75th birthday, billionaire Charles Abernathy invites his four estranged children back home out of fear that tonight someone – or something – is coming to kill him,” reads Netflix’s synopsis for The Inheritance. “To ensure his family will help protect him from whatever’s coming, Abernathy puts each of their inheritances on the line – they’ll get nothing if he’s found dead by dawn.” So, in essense, Knives Out mashed up with a horror movie.
“A mother recovering from a brutal accident moves into a prototype smart home,” the synopsis for House/Wife reads. “As she begins to get settled, she finds out that the house’s groundbreaking AI technology is quickly developing real human emotions.”
