The Director of ‘Deep Blue Sea’ Is Making Another Wild Action Movie With Samuel L. Jackson

Renny Harlin was once the heir apparent to the coke-soaked ’80s action empire built by John McTiernan, Joel Silver, and Shane Black. So the news of the Cliffhanger and Die Hard 2 director returning to high-octane cinema with The Beast is exciting for action fans who grew up with his follow-the-fun approach to filmmaking.

The Beast also reunites Harlin with Samuel L. Jackson, who he directed in the proto-shark-sploitation film Deep Blue Sea and the truly GOATed Christmas movie The Long Kiss Goodnight. The film’s roster also includes Suicide Squad standout Joel Kinnaman and Guy Burnet of Oppenheimer. Harlin spoke to Deadline saying:

“Sam is not just one of those screen icons, but also a dear friend, and joining forces for another action extravaganza has me inspired beyond belief. Joel Kinnaman is another magnetic talent and a good friend as well. Once in a while a new writer with a fresh voice comes along and Umair Aleem has given us a script bursting with original action, and characters who draw from a deep well of emotions. I know that this team is up to something truly special…”

The plot of The Beast is the kind of absurd yet self-serious action mishegoss that Harlin can really sink his teeth into. The film’s title is taken from the name of the presidential limousine, which is equipped with a Q-Branch level of offensive and defensive ordinances. Jackson, who plays the President, is trapped inside his mobile command unit by a band of hostile militia men hungry for a coup, but who learn the hard way that you don’t mess with Jackson’s car – maybe it says “Bad Motherf**ker” on it.

The Renny Harlin Touch

Harlin is known for his practical stunt and effects work, which make his thrilling set pieces stand out against the green-screen flatness of some of his contemporaries. The stunt credits for Cliffhanger look like a Wonka factory indemnity waiver, so it’s apparent Harlin wants the action and locations to be as real as possible in his films, saying of the upcoming Cliffhanger sequel:

“I hope they are given the money and resources to go on location and shoot it for real
,
because I think, for the spirit of that movie, it’s important to feel that reality.”

Being on location for the first film also prevented rebuilding all that scenery John Lithgow’s campy villain would have chewed through.

Though Harlin’s output over the last two decades has struggled with critics and audiences alike, his filmmaking prowess and workman-like professionalism have kept him directing steadily since the days of ’80s and ’90s action waned. No stranger to franchise films, Harlin has gotten exceptionally close to some major IP. The Beast was originally set to be helmed by Meg 2 second unit director James Madigan, who left the project for unknown reasons. Harlin stepping in bodes well for the remainder of the production which is currently filming in Spain, while the Finnish director is in post-production on The Strangers: Chapters 2 and 3.