Picture: Netflix
Netflix will be the streaming home in select regions for Woman of the Hour, the new movie from first-time director Anna Kendrick. It is based on the true story of serial killer Rodney Alcala and Cheryl Bradshaw, a contestant on the matchmaking TV show The Dating Game. It premiered at TIFF in September 2023 and will finally be released on Netflix in select regions in October 2024.
Woman of the Hour was directed by Oscar nominee Anna Kendrick, who also stars as the main lead. Ian MacAllister McDonald, who previously wrote Some Freaks, is behind the script.
The movie headed to Netflix was originally the plan. The movie originally began its life as a 2017 Black List selected script and had Netflix attached to the project early on. Netflix eventually opted out of the movie, with it instead being produced independently.
That said, Netflix became involved before the film’s debut at TIFF in September 2023 when the streamer acquired the streaming rights in select regions. Netflix’s $11M distribution deal for the movie includes the United States, France, Italy, Benelux, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and many other international territories.
Here’s everything else we know about Woman of the Hour.
What’s the plot of Woman of the Hour?
The real Cheryl Bradshaw and Rodney Alcala
Netflix’s Woman of the Hour will tell the story of Cheryl Bradshaw, based on real events that happened in the 1970s. Bradshaw was a bachelorette on the hit 1970s TV matchmaking show The Dating Game. But her fairy-tale date takes a terrifying turn when the bachelor, Rodney Alcala, drops his charming façade to reveal the truth: He is in fact a psychopathic serial killer and in the middle of a murder spree.
Rodney Alcala, an infamous American serial killer, was active from 1968 to 1979 but was arrested by authorities in July 1979 after a two-year killing spree in which five people lost their lives. The true number of Alcalá’s victims has yet to be determined. He has been conclusively linked to eight murders, but the actual number of victims, ranging from murder to sex crimes, could be as high as 130. Alcalá had in his possession over a thousand explicit photographs of victims, some of which were later used to help in unsolved cases of missing persons.
More commonly known as “The Dating Game Killer,” the nickname was given to Alcala due to his appearance on the show in 1978, in the midst of his murder spree. Alcala had been sentenced to death, but at the age of 77, he died of “unspecified natural causes” in Corcoran, California.
Who is cast in Woman of the Hour?
Woman of the Hour. (L-R) Tony Hale as Ed, Anna Kendrick as Sheryl and Daniel Zovatto as Rodney in Woman of the Hour. Cr. Leah Gallo/Netflix © 2024.
Anna Kendrick will lead Netflix’s Woman of the Hour as Cheryl Bradshaw, a contestant on The Dating Game. Kendrick’s recent credits include Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Trolls Back Together, Self-Reliance, and more. Opposite Kendrick, Daniel Zovatto will play Rodney Alcala, the serial killer.
The cast of the movie also includes Kathryn Gallagher (Gossip Girl), Nicolette Robinson (The Affair, One Night in Miami… ), Kelley Jakle (Pitch Perfect, 42), Autumn Best (4400), Pete Holmes (Crashing, How We Roll), Jedidiah Goodacre (Legacies), and Tony Hale (Veep, Arrested Development).
What’s the production status of Woman of the Hour?
Filming for Netflix’s Woman of the Hour took place in Vancouver, Canada, from October to December 2022.
What’s the Netflix release date for Woman of the Hour?
Woman of the Hour had its world premiere last September at the Toronto Film Festival, after which Netflix acquired the rights to its distribution.
The streamer officially confirmed that the film will be released on Netflix on October 18th, 2024, as part of its Fall 2024 lineup reveals.
It’ll be released in theaters in a few countries where the movie isn’t heading to Netflix. According to VVS Films, which distributes the movie in Canada, it’ll be available from October 11th.
It’s worth noting that the movie has yet to get an official page on Netflix or be officially rated. We do know it has a runtime of 94 minutes, however.
Woman of the Hour. (L-R) Tony Hale as Ed, Anna Kendrick as Sheryl, Matt Visser as Bachelor #1 (Josh), Jedidiah Goodacre as Bachelor #2 (Arnie) and Daniel Zovatto as Rodney in Woman of the Hour. Cr. Leah Gallo/Netflix © 2024.
What were the reviews like for Woman of the Hour?
Given that plenty of critics got to see the movie at the Toronto Film Festival.
With 51 reviews, Woman of the Hour currently sits at 91% on RottenTomatoes, and once it releases, we suspect it’ll gain the coveted Certified Fresh rating.
Vox concluded in their review, “Woman of the Hour smartly weaves into the narrative the many ways in which women are conditioned to put up with men.”
Mashable was less keen, concluding, “What are girls for?” Cheryl playfully asks her bachelors, who mostly flub their replies. Kendrick’s film fares no better answering that query.”
Are you looking forward to Woman of the Hour releasing on Netflix? Let us know in the comments.
