Vertical Saves Lily James & Pierce Brosnan Starring ‘Cliffhanger’; Spring 2027 U.S. Release Eyed – TIFF
Distributor Vertical has acquired US rights to the "Cliffhanger" reboot starring Lily James and Pierce Brosnan, rescuing the project after its previous backer, Row K, collapsed following last year's Toronto International Film Festival. Vertical is now planning a wide US theatrical release for spring 2027, resolving months of uncertainty over the film's fate and beating out reported interest from Neon's new Decal label.
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, the film reimagines the 1993 Sylvester Stallone hit, which grossed over $255 million worldwide, relocating the action to the Dolomites, where a mountaineer played by Brosnan is taken hostage during a kidnapping plot, forcing his daughter, played by James, to confront her fear of the mountains to save her family. The cast also includes Nell Tiger Free and Franz Rogowski, with Neal Moritz and Toby Jaffe among the producers. Row K's collapse left several TIFF acquisitions in limbo, including "Poetic License" (since picked up by Sony Pictures Classics) and "Charlie Harper," which remains with Row K ahead of a 25 September release.
- Vertical acquires US rights to the "Cliffhanger" reboot after Row K's collapse
- Lily James and Pierce Brosnan star; spring 2027 US theatrical release planned
- Row K's implosion left multiple TIFF-acquired films searching for new distributors
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Vertical has stepped in to buy the US distribution rights to a new version of Cliffhanger, an action film that reimagines the 1993 Sylvester Stallone hit. The remake stars Pierce Brosnan as a mountaineer taken hostage in a kidnapping plot and Lily James as his daughter, who must overcome her fear of the mountains to rescue him, with filming having relocated the story's setting to the Dolomites in Italy. Jaume Collet-Serra directs, and the cast also includes Nell Tiger Free and Franz Rogowski.
The film had been in limbo after its original backer, a company called Row K, collapsed in the wake of last year's Toronto International Film Festival, leaving several projects it had acquired without a clear route to release. Vertical's deal resolves that uncertainty for Cliffhanger, and the company is now aiming for a wide US cinema release in spring 2027.
This matters because it marks one of the more high-profile rescues to emerge from Row K's collapse, which had also affected other TIFF titles now finding new homes elsewhere. It also puts Vertical ahead of rival interest reportedly shown by Decal, a new distribution label launched by Neon.