The CLIFFHANGER Reboot Has a Release Date |

September 24, 2026 • 0 Comments

The Cliffhanger Reboot Has a Release Date … and Other News

This new version stars Lily James and Pierce Brosnan.

The News

Brosnan stars as a seasoned “legendary mountaineer” and father — and presumably a climbing mentor — to James. It has already filmed and we now have a release date, according to Deadline.

I found that the first film, released way back in 1993, had a strong premise and promised intense thrills, especially with Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2: Die Harder) directing. It fell flat for many, however (see what I did there?) Check out the below trailer for it; it featured huge action sequences. Something I appreciate about that old trailer is how little of the story is revealed; it’s all action with a great tag line: “Hang on!” Now there is a reboot on the way, and there is some talent at work behind the scenes. Stallone is not attached to this project.

Studio: Vertical
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra (Non-Stop, The Shallows, Jungle Cruise)
Writers: Ana Lily Amirpour, Mark Bianculli, Sascha Penn, Melanie Toast
Stars: Lily James (Baby Driver), Pierce Brosnan (Goldeneye), Nell Tiger Free (Game of Thrones)
Composer: not currently listed
Release Date: 29 April 2027

The Story

According to the Deadline article:

Cliffhanger is set high in the breathtaking but treacherous Dolomites where legendary mountaineer Ray Cooper (Pierce Brosnan) runs a secluded luxury chalet with his daughters, Naomi (Lily James) and Sydney (Nell Tiger Free). When a billionaire’s son arrives for a weekend getaway, a ruthless gang launches a daring kidnapping, taking Ray hostage and leaving Sydney in the crossfire. Haunted by a devastating climbing accident, Naomi must conquer her fear of the mountains and turn the terrain against her enemies in a relentless race to save her family.

And from IMDB:

A mountain guide and his daughter’s alpine climbing business in the Italian Alps faces a tragic event, forcing them to confront and overcome adversity as dangerous foes emerge, unleashing chaos.

We should be getting a trailer soon. When we do, I’ll post it here at Life After Gateway. For now, here’s some bonus video from the first Cliffhanger for you: the original trailer. Credit to YouTube channel Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers. Below that, the full poster for the reboot.

HANG ON!

———

Follow TSJ on Facebook.
Follow TSJ on X.
Follow TSJ on Instagram.
Follow TSJ’s Blog Life After Gateway, featuring one carefully curated news item from the world of Science Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Horror, and Suspense each day. Enter your email in the “Subscribe to Blog via Email” widget on the right.

———

A Blanket of Steel by Timothy S. Johnston and from Fitzhenry & Whiteside, LTD. is the recipient of the 2024 GLOBAL Thriller Award GRAND PRIZE and the 2024 CYGNUS Award First in Category.

— Timothy S. Johnston, 24 September 2026

———

Praise for Timothy S. Johnston’s A Blanket of Steel

“Fans of Clive Cussler’s NUMA Files will be delighted with Timothy S. Johnston’s undersea novels. Truman McClusky and Dirk Pitt are cut from the same adventurer’s cloth.” — Nick Cutter, author of The Deep and The Troop

“Action that ranges from close range combat to torpedo-fueled attacks. The result is a thriller that keeps moving from confrontation to confrontation … with constant danger and the vast depths of the ocean as a setting, there is always reason to keep reading.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Read the book and prepare to be blown away by one of the best writers I have ever had the pleasure to read. Timothy S. Johnston is simply amazing.” — FIVE Stars from Readers’ Favorite

“A Blanket of Steel is not simply a ‘daring do’ thriller … It’s prescient.” — Amazing Stories

“A priority selection. An action-packed story that is hard to put down. A Blanket of Steel is outstanding.” — D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

“Innovative technology, Mac taking risks no one else would dare and thinking his way through to brilliant solutions … But the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before. This is it. The countdown to the final battle … Johnston does an excellent job of keeping the tension taut as he plays with the reader’s perceptions of characters we thought we knew and trusted …” — SFcrowsnest

“Expect to be left breathless. Trust me here. Please. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.” — Michael Libling, author of The Serial Killer’s Son Takes A Wife and Hollywood North: A Novel in Six Reels

———

A BLANKET OF STEEL is out now!

WATCH THE GRIPPING BOOK TRAILER HERE.

FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE

———

A Blanket of Steel from Timothy S. Johnston and Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Ltd.

Book Cover & Jacket Copy:

AN UNSTOPPABLE THREAT!

A mysterious assassin has murdered Cliff Sim, Chief Security Officer of the underwater colony, Trieste. Cliff was a mountain of a man, highly trained, and impossible to defeat in combat. And yet …

Someone brutally beat him and left his broken body in a secret Chinese facility at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

And included a calling card for Truman McClusky, Mayor of Trieste.

Taunting him.

Mac has led the underwater colonies in their fight against the world’s superpowers. Climate change has devastated the surface; nations suffer famine, drought, rebellion, rising waters, and apocalyptic coastal flooding. But now, as Mac leads the underwater colonies to freedom and independence, he’s faced with the gravest threat of his life: a Russian assassin, hellbent on killing Mac and everyone he cares for. Now Mac must uncover the identity of the killer, face him in combat, and at the same time lead people in battle against the largest underwater force ever assembled. It’s Mac’s final test, and to win the war, he must use every tool at his disposal, including the most surprising and devastating underwater weapons ever invented.

If Mac fails, all hope is lost for the future of human colonization on the ocean floors.

But the assassin could be anyone …

Watch your back, Mac.

A Blanket of Steel is the most gripping thriller yet in The Rise of Oceania.

FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE

The other books in The Rise of Oceania series by Timothy S Johnston:

The War Beneath 9781771484718
The Savage Deeps 9781771485067
Fatal Depth 9781554555574
An Island of Light 9781554555819
The Shadow of War 9781554556007