| Pretty Lethal | |
|---|---|
Release poster
|
|
| Directed by | Vicky Jewson |
| Written by | Kate Freund |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Bridger Nielson |
| Edited by | Richard Smither |
| Music by | Paul Leonard-Morgan[1] |
|
Production
companies |
|
| Distributed by | Amazon MGM Studios (via Prime Video) |
|
Release dates
|
|
|
Running time
|
88 minutes[1] |
| Countries |
|
| Language | English |
Pretty Lethal is a 2026 action thriller film directed by Vicky Jewson and written by Kate Freund. The film stars Iris Apatow, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds, Avantika, Maddie Ziegler, and Uma Thurman. In this film, a dysfunctional ballet troupe is forced to take shelter when their bus breaks down enroute to a prestigious competition and must use their training to fight back when a gang of armed men target them.
The premiered at the South by Southwest Film & TV Festival on March 13, 2026, and was released worldwide by Amazon Prime Video on March 25.
Plot
Los Angeles ballet troupe dancers Bones, Princess, Grace, Zoe, and Chloe are invited to attend a competition in Budapest and are accompanied by their dance instructor, Thorna Davenport. After arriving in Hungary, their bus breaks down in a forest, and rather than wait for the driver to fix it, the group decides to search for a nearby town to make a call. They soon encounter the Teremok Inn run by Devora Kasimer, a legendary prima ballerina, who runs a performance art themed hotel. All five girls are welcomed in; they change into their tutus to replace their clothes that got wet in the rain.
While taking Chloe to the ladies' room, Thorna discovers Devora and her sons torturing someone and branding his tongue, she decides to get the girls out of the hotel, but is halted by vicious gangster Pasha Marcovic after she rejected his unwanted advances. Thorna knees him in the groin and as a result, Pasha shoots Thorna in the head, killing her. Devora is displeased by this, and Bones attempts to flee, only to be recaptured and tied up, while the rest of the girls are escorted to the basement.
Angered by Pasha's actions, Devora refuses to provide protection payment until she meets his father, and hires a cleaner, Doktor, to dispose of the bodies while the dancers' passports and cell phones are destroyed. Bones awakens to find Grace drugged up and escapes her binds. The doorman, Osip, arrives to rape Grace, but Bones kills him while reuniting with Princess and Zoe. Pasha later sends his goons to kill the ballerinas. Bones and the others encounter them and utilize their ballet training in a fighting form, defeating the henchmen. Bones, Zoe, and Grace decide to look for Chloe, but Princess is more interested in escaping. The girls find Chloe as well as Devora's ballet memorabilia while Princess discovers Doktor chopping off Thorna's fingertips.
All five girls reunite while Devora orders her henchmen to find and kill the girls. Pasha then calls his father, Lothar Marcovic, with disturbing news, forcing Lothar to make a stop at the inn. The five girls begin working as a team to take down the henchmen in the hotel, with razor blades taped to their fingers and stuck in their pointe shoes, while Devora is rigging the hotel with C-4 explosives. Bones gets the other girls out but is captured by Devora, who shoots Pasha in the legs, revealing that his father was responsible for her prosthetic leg due to her father's inability to pay off a debt, thus ending her ballet career. As Lothar closes in on Teremok, Devora dons her prized tutu. Princess heads back into the hotel to rescue Bones while killing Doktor, who was preparing to amputate her leg. They then capture Pasha, who escaped from Devora's torture chamber.
As Lothar and his men arrive, Grace, Zoe, and Chloe return back inside to find Bones and Princess, discovering the place rigged to blow. As the five ballerinas are reunited, Devora appears with the remote trigger for the C-4. Sympathetic to Devora's tragedy, Bones pleads with her to spare them, dancer to dancer. Devora takes Pasha as a hostage and allows the girls to flee the hotel while Lothar and his men storm the hotel. Seeking revenge for the loss of her leg and career, Devora reveals to Lothar who she really was before setting off the explosives, killing her, Lothar, Pasha, and Marcovic's men in the process, just as the girls escape in the nick of time. The girls commandeer some of Lothar's motorcycles and ride off, passing up the broken-down bus and arriving in Budapest. They reach the theatre where they perform their repertoire as a team.
Cast
- Iris Apatow as Zoe
- Lana Condor as Princess
- Millicent Simmonds as Chloe
- Avantika as Grace
- Maddie Ziegler as Bones
- Michael Culkin as Lothar Marcovic
- Lydia Leonard as Thorna Davenport
- Uma Thurman as Devora Kasimer
- Julian Krenn as Yuri
- Miklós Béres as Osip
- Krisztián Csákvári as Artyom Kasimer
- Kate Freund as Sona
- Tamás Szabó Sipos as Pasha Marcovic
- Balázs Megyeri as Saber Kasimer
- Gábor Nagypál as Doktor
Production
The film was first announced as Ballerina Overdrive in February 2023, with Vicky Jewson set to direct and Lena Headey, Yara Shahidi, Isabela Merced, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds and Iris Apatow cast to star. Filming was expected to occur in Serbia in the spring of 2023.[2]
Production was delayed to August 2024, commencing in Budapest, with Headey, Shahidi and Merced having exited the film. Maddie Ziegler, Avantika and Uma Thurman were added to the cast in their place.[3][4] Filming concluded in October.[5]
The film was later retitled Pretty Lethal.[6]
Release
In November 2024, it was revealed that international sales agent The Veterans had sold all international distribution rights to Amazon MGM Studios.[7] In September 2025, Amazon MGM was reported to be nearing a deal for U.S. distribution rights for $11-12 million, giving them worldwide rights to the film.[8]
It premiered at the 2026 SXSW Festival on March 13, 2026,[6] and was released worldwide on Amazon Prime Video on March 25, 2026.[9]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 63% of 41 critics' reviews are positive.[10]
References
- ^ a b c Adlakha, Siddhant (March 14, 2026). "'Pretty Lethal' Review: A Ballet Action Romp With Limited Imagination". Variety. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (February 8, 2023). "Lena Headey, Yara Shahidi, Isabela Merced, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds & Iris Apatow Set For Buzzy Action Pic Ballerina Overdrive From David Leitch & Kelly McCormick's 87North: EFM Hot Package". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
- ^ Cordero, Rosy (August 26, 2024). "Maddie Ziegler & Avantika Cast In Ballerina Overdrive From 87North & Gulfstream Pictures". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ Cordero, Rosy (August 28, 2024). "Uma Thurman Joins Cast Of 87North & Gulfstream Pictures' Ballerina Overdrive". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
- ^ "That's a wrap", 87North Productions, October 6, 2024
- ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 4, 2026). "SXSW Adds 'The Comeback' Season 3 Premiere, Red Hot Chili Peppers Documentary, Movies From The Apatow Family & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
- ^ Lodderhose, Diana (November 4, 2024). "The Veterans Founders Vincent Maraval & Kim Fox, Coming Off $100M In Cannes Sales, Talk Emilia Pérez Gamble, Movie Taste & What's Next". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (September 8, 2025). "Amazon Nearing U.S. Deal For All-Female Action Pic 'Ballerina Overdrive' Starring Lana Condor, Maddie Ziegler, Uma Thurman & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
- ^ "Pretty Lethal | Prime Video". Amazon MGM Studios. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
- ^ "Pretty Lethal". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
External links
- Pretty Lethal at IMDb
