EXCLUSIVE: Cliffhanger and Die Hard 2 director Renny Harlin has been set to direct survival thriller Black Tides, inspired by real-life orca attacks that have occurred off the coast of southern Spain and Portugal.
Written by Chris Sparling (Buried) and Ángel Agudo (Prime Video’s Apocalypse Z), and produced by Adrián Guerra and Nuria Valls’s Nostromo Pictures (Buried), the film will tell the story of Rebecca, who reunites with her estranged father, Bill, in sunny Málaga expecting a healing family trip with her young son, Sebastian. Instead, their voyage across the Strait of Gibraltar becomes a nightmare as they’re relentlessly attacked by rogue orcas. Rebecca, confronting deep emotional wounds, must rise as an unlikely hero in a battle for survival.
The film, which is due to shoot at the end of the summer, will be “shot old-school, with in-camera effects and real water work”.
The Solution Entertainment Group handles worldwide sales, with Lisa Wilson set to launch the film to buyers at Cannes.
Harlin, also known for Deep Blue Sea, most recently directed box office hit The Strangers: Chapter 1 and has Nostromo-produced shark survival thriller Deep Water and The Strangers: Chapter 2 upcoming.
“This film grabs you by the throat and the heart,” said the veteran filmmaker. “I’m going back to the kind of filmmaking I love—intense, physical, and immersive. This one is built for the big screen.”
Producer Adrián Guerra said: “We’re going back to what makes thrillers unforgettable—precision filmmaking, real tension, and emotional weight. Every shot is designed to build pressure, every choice anchored in character. Shot in real conditions, this is a physical, immersive experience made for the cinema. It doesn’t just entertain—it holds you in its grip.”
Adrián Guerra and Núria Valls’ Spanish film and TV outfit Nostromo had their breakthrough success with Buried, starring Ryan Reynolds. Recent releases include Netflix hit trilogy Through My Window and Bird Box Barcelona, Prime’s video’s Apocalypse Z, and The Penguin Lessons. Currently, Nostromo is filming the international co-production Day Drinker, starring Madelyn Cline, Johnny Depp, and Penélope Cruz, while projects in post-production include The Night Manager season 2 and The Map That Leads to You, directed by Lasse Hallström.
