First, it was Mary Lou Retton and her iconic, perfect-10 vault that helped set the stage for American gymnastics, becoming a defining image of the 1984 Olympics. Then, 12 years later, Team USA produced another moment that rewrote everything about passion, resilience, and the sport itself. One so powerful that filmmakers planned a biopic. However, the producers have now scrapped those plans, and the decision has sparked relief across the gymnastics world.

The Wrap and the Independent reported that Netflix has shelved ‘Perfect’, the Kerri Strug biopic, following actor Millie Bobby Brown’s exit from production. The ‘Stranger Things’ star was set to portray the iconic 1996 “Magnificent Seven” gymnast in the film. But the situation has changed, as reports indicate that Brown left over creative differences with the producers, leading Netflix to change its mind about going ahead with the film.

The streaming broadcaster has been pushing the Gia Coppola-led film, and as per The Wrap, they’ve now declined to comment on why they’ve opted out of the Kerri Strug film. However, Coppola has since left the team, replaced by Cate Shortland earlier this year, which likely led to Millie Bobby Brown’s departure, although neither Netflix nor Brown has confirmed or denied it.

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The film, however, aimed to put a magnifying glass on Strug, who was a member of the 1996 USA Women’s gymnastics team that competed at the 1996 Olympic Games. Dubbed as the “Magnificent Seven”, the team carried the hopes of Team USA’s first team gold, which they would eventually win, anchored by Kerri Strug’s performance.

But the entire gymnastics world was overjoyed to hear that the film has been shelved, as one Reddit user wrote, “Oh thank god. No way they were gonna do this justice without the karolyis and nassar.”

The user was referring to Larry Nassar as well as Béla and Márta Károlyi, who were a part of Team USA during the 1996 Olympics and beyond. And they weren’t the only ones happy about the fact that the filmmakers have now cancelled the film, as several Reddit users took to their accounts to share their thoughts.

Fans react to Kerri Strug’s Perfect being shelved by Netflix

“Yeah, I’m with everyone else in thinking that Kerri’s story just isn’t that interesting in a cinematic drama sense. Her biggest moment was a few seconds long and was played and replayed ad nauseum,” wrote a user.

They were referring to Kerri Strug injuring her ankle during the team competition final while attempting her first vault. But moving back a little, Team USA was in the lead going into the final rotation and was on the brink of history. That was despite them entering the Olympics as distant favourites, well behind the dominant force in gymnastics at the time, Russia.

That did make sense, however, given that the Russians had won the team competition medal for decades before this, while Team USA had never even won one. But going into the final rotation, the Americans were ahead when Strug stepped up for her last vault. She under-rotated her attempt, fell, and injured her ankle, which gave the Russians hope of a comeback.

It meant that the coaches asked Strug to perform her second vault despite the injury, and she did so, scoring a 9.712 as she landed on both her legs, smiled, instantly hopped onto her uninjured leg, and then collapsed onto the mat. The moment became iconic, although poor performances by the Russians during Strug’s vault meant that the US would have won regardless.

But despite that, the moment went viral, and Kerri Strug became a national hero, with multiple attempts made to create a movie around it, which one user pointed out, “Isn’t this the second time this peoject has been canned? I swore Thomasin McKenzie was set to be in this a couple of years back.”

And the user is right: Olivia Wilde planned to direct that version of the biopic, with Thomasin McKenzie lined up to portray Kerri Strug in 2021. But Wilde eventually pulled out of the production, and the producers shelved it for years until Millie Bobby Brown took over the role. Yet no one gave a reason even back then, although this time, more than a few fans expressed unhappiness with Brown as Strug.

One fan wrote, “I just could not picture Millie as Kerri. I’m glad it was cancelled too,” while another just didn’t think that Strug’s story was one worth telling, “Yeah, no disrespect to Kerri, but this story is not one that should be celebrated.”

For some fans, the concern isn’t just about retelling the moment, but whether turning it into a film risks glorifying a situation that raises uncomfortable ethical questions about pressure and athlete welfare. That is especially in light of the controversies surrounding USA Gymnastics, Strug, and the coaches, among others, in the years since. 

That user’s comments were echoed by another, who wrote “Yeah, I felt it was unnecessary, and I’m glad it was cancelled too, as I don’t want it glorifying the situation further, even if Kerri doesn’t see herself as a victim etc!”

For now, the story of Kerri Strug remains where many believe it belongs- in the moment itself rather than on the big screen. And judging by the reaction, the decision to shelve the film has only reinforced that sentiment across the gymnastics world.