Damsel, an upcoming film starring Millie Bobby Brown, has released its first few bits of promotional material. Two years ago, it was announced that the Stranger Things and Enola Holmes star would play Princess Elodie, who thinks she will marry the prince of a rival kingdom, Prince Henry (Nich Robinson). However, she soon discovers that the kingdom has, shall we say, a bit of a dark secret.
Every harvest season, the kingdom sacrifices its princess to a hungry, fire-breathing dragon. Finding herself on the menu for a mythic beast, Elodie’s “innocence gives way to a fierce warrior spirit when she finds herself fighting a dragon that’s out to kill her.” Also in the film are Angela Basset, Ray Winstone, Robin Wright, and Shohreh Aghdashloo.
The first image from Damsel, released from the official Netflix Twitter account, depicts Elodie in what appears to be the dragon’s lair, with flaming sparks surrounding her. She is covered in soot, with her outfit looking like the tank top belonging to John McClane (Bruce Willis) in Die Hard. Miraculously, her hair and makeup still look fabulous, though. In her hands, Elodie is brandishing a sword against what is presumably the dragon, though it isn’t in the picture itself.
A few short clips of Damsel have also been released as part of Netflix’s Save the Dates preview. Besides seeing Elodie wielding that sword in action and her state of dress in further disarray, you also get to see more of the dragon’s lair. Though it’s hard to see due to the scene’s lighting, you can make out the dragon at one point if you look closely enough.
Other Movies Similar to Damsel
Damsel looks as though it will be in the same vein as The Princess, which was released last year as a Hulu original. Joey King starred as, well, a princess who finds herself in the common predicament of being locked away in a tower. However, instead of waiting for Prince Charming to come to save her, the princess ends up saving herself.
Damsel also has similarities to Rosaline and Catherine Called Birdy as a film set during medieval times that concern a plucky young heroine. Of course, neither film was as heavy on action as Damsel appears to be or The Princess was. Instead, both Rosaline and Catherine Called Birdy were comedies.
Rosaline, also released on Hulu and starring Kaitlyn Dever, was a retelling of Romeo and Juliet from the point of view of Romeo’s ex, who schemes to get him back. Catherine Called Birdy, released on Prime Video and starring Bella Ramsey, was about the daughter of a lord rebelling against her father’s attempts to marry her off to a rich husband.
Damsel is currently set for release on Oct. 13, 2023.
