Netflix Pays Almost $20M To Acquire Melissa McCarthy, Chris O’Dowd’s Drama ‘The Starling’

Netflix won the auction for “The Starling,” but they paid millions for it.

According to Deadline, Netflix paid almost $20 million to win Melissa McCarthy and Chris O’Dowd’s movie “The Starling.” The film was directed by Ted Melfi and also stars Kevin Kline and Timothy Olyphant. The script was written by Matt Harris.

In the film, McCarthy and O’Dowd play a married couple trying to rebuild their relationship after a tragedy. O’Dowd leaves their home to deal with his grief while McCarthy stays behind. She gets herself busy by tending their backyard garden. However, a giant bird – a black starling begins to attack her work. McCarthy turns to a psychiatrist-turned-veterinarian, Kline, who tries to help her deal with her predicament.

The deal was reportedly closed on April 17. However, the production for the anticipated dramedy was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and it remains unknown when it will be revived.

Netflix has been working on finding new movies to stream for the rest of the year and “The Starling” is in the position to be one of them. The flick has already completed its principal photography and is already in the post-production process.

Meanwhile, on April 14, Netflix announced the creation of the $1 million fund to support local production employees and freelancers in Brazil. The aid will be distributed by the Brazilian Institute of Audiovisual Content (ICAB), an arm of leading industry organization Brazil Audiovisual Independent (BRAVI).

The donation aims to help over 5,000 workers with local monthly minimum salary of $200. The money is for those who are involved in production tasks including cinematography, sound, art design, makeup, scenography, and logistics.

The Brazilian workers can apply on ICAB’s website starting April 28. The committee includes ICAB, BRAVI and Netflix.

“We would like to invite other industry players to contribute to the fund, which is designed exclusively to support those who are key for the Brazilian production industry,” said ICAB executive director Mauro Garcia.

Netflix has a long list of movies and comedy specials for April. According to TV Guide, among the shows that are still coming up this month are “Absurd Planet,” “Win the Wilderness,” “The House of Flowers Season 3,” “After Life Season 2,” “The Last Kingdom Season 4,” “Extracurricular” and more.