By Released in 2017, few seem to remember “Bright” – David Ayer’s urban fantasy action film starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton which seemed to be a fantasy-driven spin on the “Alien Nation” premise.
The film marked Netflix’s first real foray into big-budget filmmaking. A $90 million deal for the property made it the streamer’s most expensive film to date at that time (it has since been eclipsed).
Seemingly popular with viewers, 11 million U.S. viewers streamed the film within the first three days of its release. Critics reviews were widely negative towards it, with just a 26% (4.1/10) score on Rotten Tomatoes at the time.
Looking back seven years layer and speaking to Inverse, co-star Joel Edgerton discussed the nasty reviews the film received and how it derailed the sequel. He tells Inverse:
“I have a lot of feelings about ‘Bright’. I’m fascinated by the disparity between critical and audience responses to movies. Often, the audience score is low, but critics love it, or vice versa.
Occasionally, you get a double win or a double loss. My brother’s TV series, ‘Mr Inbetween,’ is one of the rare double wins. But ‘Bright was in the low 30s with critics, yet it resonated with viewers.
Netflix’s algorithms would confirm that, as many people rated it highly, showing a clear appetite for more. I think critics were a bit too harsh on it.”
A sequel to “Bright” was floated but Will Smith’s busy schedule and a lack of director (Ayer didn’t want to return) prevented it. In the wake of the Oscar slap scandal, Netflix effectively cancelled the film.
Edgerton himself is currently starring in the Apple TV+ series “Dark Matter”.
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