Netflix’s Upcoming Western Show Can Redeem Michiel Huisman’s $166 Million Franchise Disappointment This Year

Michiel Huisman‘s $166 million franchise has been a disappointment, but his upcoming Western show has the potential to fix the damage. Born on 18 July 1981, Michiel Huisman has been active as an actor for over two decades. Although he started with small roles in Dutch TV shows, he earned worldwide recognition after starring as Daario Naharis in Game of Thrones. Many would also recognize him for his portrayal of Steven Crain in Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House.

However, despite having an incredible acting career so far, Huisman has also seen a fair share of lows and failures. Although he continues to land prominent roles in movies and shows, a recent big-budget franchise he starred in has not been able to live up to the high expectations that viewers had for it. Fortunately, redemption is not too far for the actor.

Michiel Huisman Is Starring In Netflix’s The Abandons Show After Rebel Moon

Michiel Huisman’s New Netflix Show Role Spells Redemption

Michiel Huisman has close to 60 acting credits under his belt, but since 2023, he has only starred in the two Rebel Moon movies. In the Zack Snyder franchise, the actor portrays Gunnar and convincingly portrays his character in both movie installments. Unfortunately, despite having an ensemble cast and a talented director at its helm, the Rebel Moon movie series has not been performing too well among critics. While the first Rebel Moon movie has an underwhelming Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score of 21%, the second one maintains an even lower score of 15%.

After the Rotten Tomatoes failures of both Rebel Moon movies, Michiel Huisman might finally get a shot at redemption with his role in the upcoming Western, The Abandons. Although most details surrounding it are still under the covers, the Netflix Western series is already being touted as a potential replacement for the highly acclaimed Sons of Anarchy. Along with Michiel Huisman, the show also includes other talented cast members such as Lena Headey, Ryan Hurst, Gillian Anderson, and Nick Robinson, among others, making it even more exciting.

The Abandons Can Restore Michiel Huisman’s Netflix Success Streak

The Abandons Could Be Another Hit On Huisman’s Acting Portfolio

The two Rebel Moon movies have been hiccups in Michiel Huisman’s acting career. However, before he starred in the Zack Snyder franchise, the actor had an almost flawless run with Netflix. For instance, many of his shows and movies, like The Haunting of Hill House and A Boy Called Christmas, performed fairly well both critically and commercially. Netflix’s 2021 movie, Kate, was another speed bump in Huisman’s career, but it still received mixed reviews instead of being unanimously panned like the Rebel Moon movies.

Although the Rebel Moon films have slightly slowed his momentum, The Abandons could potentially restore his successful streak with Netflix. Everything from The Abandons‘ premise to its cast members shows promise for Huisman’s resurgence. While only time will tell whether the series will live up to the anticipation and be as successful (if not more) as Huisman’s previous shows and movies, the actor’s involvement brings immense credibility and anticipation to it, underscored by his track record of working in several hit shows like The Flight Attendant, Game of Thrones, Orphan Black, etc.

Rebel Moon’s Extended Cuts Could Still Fix The Franchise Before Michiel Huisman’s Next Netflix Project

Not All Hope Is Lost For Rebel Moon

The 2017 Justice League stands at a Rotten Tomatoes score of 40%, highlighting how most critics were dissatisfied with Zack Snyder’s take on the DC Comics’ superhero teamup. However, Snyder’s cut of the film, which premiered in 2021, has a much better Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score of 72%, proving that the director’s more cohesive and nuanced exploration of the superhero story was superior to the one that made it to theaters in 2017. Even with the Rebel Moon movies, history could repeat itself, and some critics may have a change of heart about the Netflix franchise after the release of their extended cuts.

If that happens, Michiel Huisman will not have to wait for The Abandons‘ release to restore his success streak. However, considering how the Rebel Moon movies have extremely low scores on Rotten Tomatoes, it seems unlikely the extended cuts will suddenly transform them into critical darlings. In Zack Snyder’s case, though, extended cuts improving critical reception is not entirely unheard of, which makes it hard not to hope that the Rebel Moon movies will become more appealing after the release of the extended cuts and give Michiel Huisman a much-needed redemption.