First images released for Uma Thurman's horror thriller Pretty Lethal

Prime Video has unveiled the first teaser images for Pretty Lethal, an upcoming 2026 horror film starring Uma Thurman as a deadly former ballerina. The movie follows a group of young dancers whose trip to a competition turns nightmarish after their bus breaks down near a sinister inn. Directed by Vicky Jewson, the film blends ballet with high-octane violence.

Pretty Lethal, originally announced in 2023 under the title Ballerina Overdrive, centers on a troupe of five dancers heading to a prestigious national competition. The cast includes Maddie Ziegler, Lana Condor, Iris Apatow, Avantika, and Millicent Simmonds, who portray the young ballerinas. Their journey is disrupted when their bus breaks down in a remote forest, leading them to seek refuge at a roadside inn owned by Devora Kasimer, played by Uma Thurman. A former ballet champion, Kasimer reveals a deadly side, pitting the group against her in a bloody confrontation.

The first promotional images, released on February 5, 2026, show the young cast members covered in blood, hinting at the gruesome events ahead. Another image features Thurman in character as the inn's ominous owner. Thurman, known for roles in Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill, brings star power to the project.

Vicky Jewson directs, following her work on the survival thriller Close. The script is by Kate Freund, who wrote the anthology series After Midnight. Production comes from 87North, the company behind the John Wick films, ensuring authentic action sequences that leverage the dancers' real expertise—Maddie Ziegler trained at the Abby Lee Dance Company, while Lana Condor studied at the Joffrey Ballet and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

The film draws comparisons to 2024's Abigail, which mixed ballet with supernatural horror, and female-led thrillers like Ready or Not, You're Next, and The Hunt. Pretty Lethal is set for release on Prime Video on March 25, 2026, amid a busy year for horror that includes 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple and Send Help.

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Netflix has released the survival thriller 'Apex' on April 24, 2026, directed by Baltasar Kormákur and starring Charlize Theron as an intrepid outdoorswoman pursued by Taron Egerton's psycho killer in the Australian outback. The 95-minute R-rated film follows Theron's character Sasha, who five months after losing her boyfriend in a Norwegian climbing accident travels to New South Wales to scatter his ashes. Critics praise its taut action, cinematography by Lawrence Sher, and the leads' performances.

Following the SXSW premiere and ahead of its March 25, 2026 Prime Video release, Vicky Jewson's 'Pretty Lethal'—starring Maddie Ziegler, Lana Condor, and Uma Thurman—earns a mixed Variety review. The film impresses with its early fight choreography blending ballet and violence but falters in sustaining momentum and character development.

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Actor Avantika made her first appearance at the South by Southwest Film & TV Festival in Austin, Texas, to promote her new ballet-themed action film Pretty Lethal. The film co-stars Uma Thurman, Maddie Ziegler, and Iris Apatow. She described the experience as a dream for any movie-lover.

Anupama Parameswaran will lead a new psychological thriller produced by Prerna Arora, with filming set to begin in May 2026. The project, directed by Shaan, is backed by Ess Kay Gee Entertainment and Benchmark Storytellers. This marks another addition to Parameswaran's growing slate of South Indian films.

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