Remember the glory days of the pre-pandemic society when Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas would joyfully dating and everything seemed right in the world? The duo met while leading the cast of the erotic thriller “Deep Water” and it seemed as if we were going to be able to watch their love unfold on the big screen. Well, the pandemic happened, the couple split up (Affleck is now with Jennifer Lopez, obvi), and “Deep Water” never saw the light of day. But the release date was seemingly set for January 2022. That is, until now.
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According to Deadline, 20th Century Studios pulled “Deep Water” from its January 14, 2022 release date and didn’t announce a new time for the film to hit the big screen. Of course, this isn’t too shocking when you consider that date is about a month away and we have yet to see one image or teaser for the feature. Unless 20th Century Studios was going to release a major motion picture without one bit of marketing, a delay, at the very least, was expected. But now, the fact the film is pulled from the schedule is indicative of something else, perhaps.
“Deep Water” is the big return to erotic thrillers from director Adrian Lyne. The filmmaker might be best known for “Flashdance,” but he earned his reputation as an erotic thriller maestro with features such as “Indecent Proposal,” “9 ½ Weeks,” “Fatal Attraction,” and “Unfaithful.” In fact, the 2002 film, “Unfaithful,” is the last time Lyne was behind the camera, making “Deep Water” his first directorial outing in two decades.
So, what’s going on with the film? Well, no one is talking. But when you look at what 20th Century Studios (and its parent company Disney) has done in the past, perhaps we have an idea. Remember “The Woman in the Window?” Much like “Deep Water,” Joe Wright’s adult thriller was the subject of a ton of delays and juggling until it was sold off to Netflix during the pandemic. “Deep Water” is starting to feel a bit like the next ‘Window,’ right? Would it really be all that shocking to send the film to a streamer at this point?
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The only question is whether Disney is willing to completely sell off a Ben Affleck film from Adrian Lyne, and give it to a competitor like Netflix? Maybe sending it to Hulu, where Disney likes to explore its adult-friendly subsidiaries like 20th Century Studios, FX, and whatnot, would be a better option? At this point, it’s all speculation and we just have to wait and see.
Regardless, completely pulling a film from a release schedule a month before it was supposed to hit theaters, after already being delayed quite a bit, is never a good sign. So, expect to hear news about the final destination of “Deep Water” soon enough.
