Ahead of its Netflix release, Amy Adams' mystery-thriller film The Woman in the Window needed reshoots to fix its confusing plot. Adapted from author A.J. Finn's best-selling thriller novel, The Woman in the Window was originally slated for an October 2019 release but was delayed until May 2020 after negative early test screening responses. The film was then taken off the release schedule entirely due to the coronavirus pandemic and is headed to Netflix this year after the streaming service bought the film from Disney-owned 20th Century Fox. However, the movie had some changes to be made before its new release date.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Joe Wright discussed how the film needed reshoots after test screening audiences found the plot too confusing. "There were some plot points that people found a bit confusing — I would say possibly too opaque maybe," said Wright. "So we had to go back and clarify certain points, but I think also we tried to make sure we didn't oversimplify anything and make things too clear. There's an enjoyment in not knowing what's going on, but at the same time, you have to give the audience something to hold on to — you have to lead them through the labyrinth of mystery and fear."
The thriller is the last of the book-to-movie projects from Elizabeth Gabler's Fox 2000 production company, which was shuttered after Disney acquired Fox. Though an official release date has not yet been announced, the film is set for a Netflix release sometime in the first half of 2021.
The Woman in the Window stars Adams as Dr. Anna Fox, an agoraphobic child psychologist who spends her days in her New York home watching old film noirs and spying on her neighbors through her windows. When she thinks she witnesses her neighbor's murder one night, she becomes paranoid and unsure of what to do and who to trust. The film also stars Julianne Moore, Gary Oldman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Anthony Mackie, Brian Tyree Henry, and Wyatt Russell.
Source: EW