Renny Harlin’s new disaster film “Deep Water” is ready to make a splash.
Bob Yari’s Magenta Light Studios will release Harlin’s latest in theaters nationwide on May 1, 2026.
According to the official synopsis, “Deep Water” “tells the adventurous tale of an eclectic group of international passengers whose plane, en route from L.A. to Shanghai, is forced to make an emergency landing in shark infested waters. The terrified group is forced to work together and overcome their differences if they hope to escape their sinking plane and the frenzy of sharks drawn to the wreckage.”
The film was written by Pete Bridges and John Kim, who has experience with sharks. (He wrote sharks-in-a-convenience-store movie “Bait.”)
The cast includes Aaron Eckhart, Ben Kingsley, Molly Belle Wright, Angus Sampson and Kelly Gale.
The film is a Simmons/Hamilton Production, launched by Kiss co-founder Gene Simmons and Gary Hamilton, chairman of Arclight Films. The film is produced by Arclight Films’ Ying Ye, Gabba Post’s Neal Kingston, Aristos Films’ Grant Bradley and Dale Bradley and Nostromo Pictures’ Adrián Guerra and Xavier Parache, and Magenta Light Studios CEO Bob Yari.
“’Deep Water’ offers a cinematic experience that combines raw intensity with high-stakes drama,” Yari said in a statement. “Anchored by one of the most breathtaking plane crash sequences ever filmed and a story that keeps the tension razor-sharp, it’s a thriller built for the theatrical experience. When it premieres next May, audiences are in for a ride they won’t forget.”
“Directing ‘Deep Water,’ I wanted to recreate the world of my favorite genre, the ’70s’ disaster movie. A colorful cast of characters on an international flight crash land in the middle of the ocean and fight for their lives in shark infested waters,” Harlin said. “The movie is a visceral edge-of-your-seat survival story, with pretty epic action sequences and a lot of heart. I want moviegoers to experience this physical and emotional rollercoaster ride on the big screen when it hits the theaters May 1, 2026.”
Harlin, of course, is a modern genre master, beginning with his English language debut “A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master” in 1988 and continuing with a string of smartly made commercial movies like “Die Hard 2” and “The Adventures of Ford Fairlane” (both in 1990), “Cliffhanger” in 1993 and “The Long Kiss Goodnight” in 1996. He’s even had experience with sharks before, with 1999’s incredibly fun “Deep Blue Sea.” Glad to see he’s getting back in the water.
The filmmaker’s latest, “The Strangers: Chapter 2,” debuts in theaters this week, with a third chapter in the trilogy coming soon.
