Halle Berry’s directorial debut, Bruised recently received a release date from Netflix. The movie is set to premiere Nov. 24.

Berry, who also stars in the project, recently shared the role was originally written for Blake Lively.

The original Gossip Girl star declined the role, which allowed Berry to pitch a slightly different twist to the film’s producer Basil Iwanyk, who gave Berry the green light to find a director.

“They gave me the script and I loved the story, but it was written for a twentysomething Irish Catholic white woman,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “I couldn’t get it out of my mind, so I thought, is it possible that this could be reimagined for someone like me?”

“Because I think I have a take on it that could actually work — making it about a middle-aged Black woman, someone fighting for a last chance rather than another chance,” she continued. “When you’re young we all get chances, they’re a dime a dozen. But when you’re at a certain stage in life it becomes something more impactful and meaningful, right? So about six months later when [Lively] decided in her own time that it wasn’t for her, I went to the producer, Basil Iwanyk, who I’d just done John Wick 3’ with, and gave him my pitch. And he said, ‘Great, we love that idea. Now go find a director.’”

After an unsuccessful director search, Berry became the film’s helmer herself.

As we previously reported, Bruised chronicles “disgraced MMA fighter, Jackie Justice, who has failed at the one thing she’s ever been good at – fighting. When 6-year-old Manny, the son she walked out on years ago, returns to her doorstep, Jackie has to conquer her demons, face one of the fiercest rising stars of the MMA world and ultimately fight to become the mother this kid deserves.”

All’s well that end’s well, because folks are very excited to see Berry in this film with her as both the star and the director.