This project was first announced as a Stallone-led “Cliffhanger” sequel, but many months later, right as production was about to start, things shifted dramatically. Stallone dropped 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.
The reboot, which is now in post-production, might have kickstarted a new franchise. Deadline’s reporting that early development has already kicked off on a sequel to the “Cliffhanger” reboot—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 film, 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.
A sequel in development before the first film even screens publicly suggests a lot of confidence—or a lot of desperation. Time will tell which.