In what’s being called the priciest buy out of this year’s TIFF market so far, Row K has swooped in with an eight-figure deal for Jaume Collet-Serra’s “Cliffhanger” reboot, marking a major get for the new U.S. distributor. The film is now being lined for a 3000 screen U.S. theatrical release in 2026.
Earlier in the month, Row K Entertainment, which recently launched, secured its first North American acquisition with Gus Van Sant’s “Dead Man’s Wire,” which was also acquired out of the TIFF market.
The “Cliffhanger” buy is far splashier. Originally announced as a Stallone-led sequel to 1993 film, but many months later, right as production was about to begin, Stallone was out, and the film was rebranded as a “reboot.”
THR described the move as “a creative overhaul,” with Lily James stepping into the lead, Pierce Brosnan co-starring, and Jaume Collet-Serra (“Non-Stop”) directing. The new script, based on a story by Ana Lily Amirpour (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night), has been pitched by insiders as a father-daughter spin on Die Hard.
In fact, early development has already kicked off on a sequel to Collet-Serra’s “Cliffhanger”—yes, a sequel to a movie that hasn’t even been released yet. There’s no confirmation on whether the current cast or Collet-Serra would return.
The first instalment, probably releasing next year, has Brosnan playing Ray Cooper, a veteran mountaineer running a luxury chalet in the Dolomites, whose family outing with a billionaire’s son turns into a kidnapping nightmare. James, as his daughter Naomi, haunted by a past climbing tragedy, is thrust into survival mode. The project is being sold as a big-screen event, with IMAX plans already in place.
The original “Cliffhanger” (1993), directed by Renny Harlin and starring Stallone, grossed $255M worldwide and became a staple of ’90s action cinema. Stallone, however, has no involvement in either the reboot or the sequel now being cooked up.