Lifetime Pushes Release of McKenna Grace Horror Film in Wake of Texas Shooting
Lifetime has delayed the premiere of Mckenna Grace’s horror film “The Bad Seed Returns” in light of the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
The network confirmed to Variety that “The Bad Seed Returns” will now premiere later in 2022. Lifetime has notified the Television Academy that the film will no longer debut during the eligibility window for the 2022 Emmys, which ends on May 31.
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15-year-old Grace, who is from Grapevine, Texas, tweeted on Wednesday that she no longer felt comfortable promoting the film due to the shooting.
“In the wake of the recent tragedy in my home state of Texas, we have decided to delay the release of ‘The Bad Seed Returns.’ Lifetime and everyone involved are in agreement,” Grace wrote. “I was in first grade when Sandy Hook happened … and it feels like not much has changed since then,” Grace’s statement continued. “I remember my parents teaching me emergency action plans for going to church or the movies.”
In the wake of the recent tragedy in my home state of Texas, we have decided to delay the release of “The Bad Seed Returns”. @lifetimetv & everyone involved are in agreement. #Uvalde#Buffalo#LagunaWoods pic.twitter.com/5m1ms1OpXF
— Mckenna Grace (@MckennaGraceful) May 25, 2022
Grace developed the story for “The Bad Seed Returns” and co-wrote the script with her father Ross Burge. The two executive produce along with Grace’s mother Crystal Burge, Mark Wolper and Barbara Marshall, who also wrote for the project.
A sequel to Rob Lowe’s 2018 Lifetime movie “The Bad Seed,” the film follows Emma (Grace) after she causes the death of her father (Lowe, who also directed the film). She is now living a normal life with her aunt, but her dark, sinister behaviors can only be hidden for so long.
Grace’s prominent credits include starring in 2017’s “Gifted” and 2021’s “Ghostbusteres: Afterlife.”
The delay of “The Bad Seed Returns” is not the first in Hollywood. On Tuesday, CBS pulled the season finale of “FBI,” while the red carpet premieres of “Physical” and “The Orville: New Horizons” have also been pushed.
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