Abandoned, the final film from actress Brittany Murphy, is headed to the big screen this summer after being picked up by Anchor Bay Entertainment. The Clueless star passed away after suffering cardiac arrest in her Hollywood Hills home on Dec. 20. Brittany wrapped shooting on the psychological thriller Abandoned — featuring co-stars Dean Cain and Mimi Rogers — last June. The feature sees Murphy as Mary Walsh, a woman who takes her boyfriend to the hospital for a routine outpatient surgery and returns to find the man gone — without a trace.
Distribution company Anchor Bay Entertainment has now purchased the rights to the film, bringing Brittany back to theaters months after her death and years after her fortunes fell in Tinseltown following a series of box office flops. Murphy, who co-starred in films like 8 Mile, Uptown Girls, and Girl Interrupted early in her career, had worked in mostly low-budget movies in the final years of her life.
“Brittany will be deeply missed by everyone who worked on Abandoned. The film is a taut thriller which portrays Brittany’s character as smart and tough – and that’s how we all want to remember her,” read a joint statement from producers Jeffrey Schenck and Barry Barnholtz.
Earlier this month, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office concluded that Brittany died after a bout with pneumonia, with anemia and “multiple drug intoxication” listed as contributing factors.