Pierce Brosnan is climbing into one of Sylvester Stallone’s most iconic roles — and now we know when audiences will see him do it. In a deal Deadline reports is the biggest out of this year’s TIFF market so far, new distributor Row K has secured U.S. rights to Brosnan’s Cliffhanger reboot in an eight-figure deal. The film is set for a wide 3,000-screen release in 2026, giving it the kind of rollout reserved for major blockbusters.
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Carry-On), the reimagining of Renny Harlin’s 1993 hit is currently in post-production. Brosnan plays seasoned mountaineer Ray Cooper, who runs a luxury chalet in the Dolomites with his daughter Sydney. When a billionaire’s son arrives for a weekend trip, the family becomes the target of a gang of kidnappers. Ray’s other daughter Naomi (Lily James), still haunted by a tragic climbing accident, must face her fears and fight for survival to save her family. And there’s strong confidence in this one: early discussions are already underway about a potential sequel. While nothing is confirmed about Brosnan, James, or Collet-Serra’s return, the talks suggest confidence that this reboot could become a franchise.
The film’s script comes from Ana Lily Amirpour, Sascha Penn, Mark Bianculli, and Melanie Toast. Producers include Lars Sylvest of Thank You Pictures, Joe Neurauter of Supernix, Thorsten Schumacher of Rocket Science, Neal Moritz, and Toby Jaffe. CAA Media Finance handled the domestic deal, while Rocket Science is overseeing international sales.
What Can We Expect From Cliffhanger?
James, who also produces, has been candid about the grueling shoot in the Italian Alps. Speaking to ScreenRant while promoting Finally Dawn, she called it one of the most thrilling experiences of her life:
“I don’t want to say too much to give it away right now. What I will say is I had one of the most thrilling experiences of my life. We shot in the Dolomites. We were there for six weeks on the mountains. I was really hanging off mountains. We had to shut down multiple times because of freak snowstorms. The story is very much through Naomi and her sister Sydney. I would hope that we are maintaining what people love about the original cliffhanger, but it’s definitely different. It’s feral, it’s raw. It’s a real re-imagining, and I am producing it too. And I loved working with Jaume Collet-Sera, who’s directing it. We have a wonderful cast. Pierce Brosnan is just a dream, and we’re in the edit phase now, but I’m really, really excited to share this one. And I fell completely in love with rock climbing. I became utterly obsessed. And getting physically strong for that was one of the biggest challenges. But getting to really do it and really do all that climbing was seriously empowering really. And I loved it.”
Cliffhanger hits theatres in 2026.
Release Date
May 28, 1993
Runtime
112 Minutes
Director
Renny Harlin
Sequel(s)
Cliffhanger 2
