Cliffhanger without Stallone finally has a date — 24 February 2027, with Pierce Brosnan on the rope
Cliffhanger’s Pierce Brosnan–Lily James remake has finally locked a US cinema window, with Vertical taking domestic rights—now all eyes on the precise date.
Here we go, then: fresh news for any action fans or lovers of 90s cinema reboots — the long-gestating remake of Cliffhanger finally has a real US cinema date, a new distributor, and a line-up that couldn’t be more different from the original Sly Stallone climbing saga.
US theatrical release for the new Cliffhanger is set for February 24, 2027.
Who’s Climbing This Time?
The headline names this time? Pierce Brosnan takes lead as Ray Cooper, a world-weary mountaineer in a far moister climate than the Rockies — we’re in the Dolomites now, not Colorado. Lily James is Naomi, one of Ray’s daughters, with Nell Tiger Free as her sister Sydney. There’s a solid supporting cast too: Franz Rogowski, Shubham Saraf, Assaad Bouab, Suzy Bemba, and Bruno Gouery are all on board.
The story’s straight out of the big-budget, high-stakes playbook: Ray runs an exclusive chalet in the mountains with his daughters, playing host to the idle rich. Trouble kicks off when a billionaire’s son turns up for a posh weekend and — because it’s a thriller — ruthless kidnappers swoop in. Ray’s taken hostage, Sydney’s in the crossfire, and Naomi has to face her mountain phobia to save the family, haunted by memories of a tragic climbing incident.
A Rocky Journey To The Screen
This one’s been through a fair few changes on its trek to cinemas. The original plan was for a ‘legacy sequel’ — think Stallone himself back in harness, clinging to the cliffs once more. But somewhere along the way it got scrapped and rebuilt as a more self-contained reboot, focusing on new characters and an updated scenario. Jaume Collet-Serra — best known for thrillers like The Shallows and assorted Liam Neeson punch-ups — is now directing.
The script’s credited to Mark Bianculli and Melanie Toast (based on a story with Sacha Penn), with Ana Lily Amirpour contributing as well. Quite a writing relay, that. And it seems the production is well-funded: this isn’t a quick-and-cheap cash-in, with a reported $100 million budget to throw at stunts, snow, and big-name talent.
- Distribution for the US was initially set with Row K back in 2025, but has now shifted to Vertical, who are giving it a wide release.
- International sales are being handled by Rocket Science.
- The producing roster includes Lars Sylvest (Thank You Pictures), Thorsten Schumacher (Rocket Science), Joe Neurauter and Philipp Kreuzer (Supernix), and Hollywood regulars Neal Moritz and Toby Jaffe (Original Film).
With the fresh deal, US audiences should see Cliffhanger (the 2020s version, not Sly’s original) on February 24, 2027, if all goes to plan — which, given this project’s history, is worth pencilling in lightly.