Halle Berry is sued by ex-UFC fighter Cat Zingano over role in her Netflix film Bruised

Halle Berry has been named in a lawsuit filed by ex-UFC fighter Cat Zingano, who’s asking for damages amid claims Berry’s promises to appear in her forthcoming Netflix film Bruised went unfulfilled, causing her to miss out on other lucrative career opportunities.

Zingano, 39, said the Academy Award-wining actress, 55, had met with her in July of 2019 about the project, according to legal docs reviewed by TMZ.

The professional fighter said that Berry said she would like her to be involved with the motion picture – which marks Berry’s directorial debut – and to keep her calendar open for production on the movie.

The  latest: Halle Berry, 55, has been sued by ex-UFC fighter Cat Zingano, 39, who’s asking for damages amid claims Berry’s promises to appear in her forthcoming Netflix film Bruised went unfulfilled, causing her to miss out on other lucrative career opportunities

Zingano said she subsequently had been offered a lucrative fight with the UFC, and was told by Berry to forego the fight due to factors linked to liability issues from the film’s insurers.

Zingano said she picked the film over the fight – and was released by the UFC thereafter – which led to Berry dropping her from the movie, saying she needed fighters with the UFC. 

Zingano said in court docs that Berry subsequently stopped communicating with her. 

Berry spoke last week with Entertainment Weekly about the film, which was initially pitched with Blake Lively in mind, but Lively ‘decided in her own time that it wasn’t for her.’ 

In action: Berry is set to play the role of Jackie Justice in Bruised, which co-stars Stephen McKinley Henderson, Adan Canto and Shamier Anderson

Gonna fly now: Berry has been intensely training for her role in the movie, which she is also directing 

Details: Zingano, snapped in 2019, said she passed on a lucrative fight with the UFC to be in the film, but Berry later took her out of it

Berry recalled of the project, ‘They gave me the script and I loved the story, but it was written for a twentysomething Irish Catholic white woman. 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 added, ‘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?’

Berry is set to play the role of Jackie Justice in Bruised, which co-stars Stephen McKinley Henderson, Adan Canto and Shamier Anderson.

The movie is set to premiere on Netflix November 24.

Fit: The Cleveland-born film star looks to be in phenomenal shape amid her training