The Director Of One Of The Best Shark Movies Ever Is Finally Returning To The Genre

Renny Harlin is known for his work on 1990s action movies such as "Die Hard 2" and "Cliffhanger." But he also directed 1999's "Deep Blue Sea," the second best shark movie ever and a modest box office hit that has endured well beyond its original release, earning its place in the sub-genre's canon. It's truly only rivaled by Steven Spielberg's "Jaws." For that reason, it's notable that Harlin, all these years later, has returned to the shark movie genre with his latest effort.

The above trailer offers our first glimpse at "Deep Water," which stars Aaron Eckhart ("The Dark Knight") as a pilot who crashes a plane into shark-infested waters. (Bear in mind, this movie is not to be confused with 2022's thrilling, trashy erotica picture "Deep Water" starring Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas.) There's not a whole lot of shark action in this promo, admittedly, although the film's poster, which you can check out below, makes it clear that sharks are indeed a big part of the proceedings.

While this is very much just a teaser, "Deep Water" so far looks like a lean, wild, lower-budget horror/thriller. A big part of the appeal of "Deep Blue Sea" is that it didn't take itself too seriously, so that very well could be a good thing. (Shark smart and people in danger; keep it simple.) The synopsis for Harlin's latest reads as follows:

An eclectic group of international passengers whose plane, en route from L.A. to Shanghai, is forced to make an emergency landing in shark infested waters. The terrified group is forced to work together and overcome their differences if they hope to escape their sinking plane and the frenzy of sharks drawn to the wreckage.

What's interesting is that 2024 saw the arrival of a shark movie titled "No Way Up," which also focused on survivors of a plane crash contending with sharks. How Renny Harlin will distinguish "Deep Water" from that particular movie remains to be seen.

Harlin most recently directed the "Strangers" trilogy for Lionsgate. While "The Strangers: Chapter 1" was a modest box office hit, the returns declined significantly for "The Strangers: Chapter 2" and "The Strangers: Chapter 3," which only opened in theaters a couple of weekends ago. Critically, the movies were also largely dismissed. So, will this be a get-right moment for Harlin? We shall see.

The "Deep Water" cast also includes Molly Belle Wright ("Omaha"), Kelly Gale ("Plane"), Ben Kingsley ("Wonder Man"), Angus Sampson ("Max Max: Fury Road"), Priya Jain ("Wild Flower"), and Li Wenhan ("Almost Love").

As for "Deep Blue Sea," it had a large life on home media and cable, prompting Warner Bros. to eventually release "Deep Blue Sea 2" in 2018 (which skipped theaters in favor of going straight to Blu-ray/DVD and VOD). That was followed by 2020's "Deep Blue Sea 3," which was leagues above the prior direct-to-video sequel. Harlin, however, wasn't involved in those movies. That's what makes his return to the director's chair for this shark-infested adventure so appealing, even disregarding anything in the trailer.

What about this script brought him back to sharks now? Granted, his career is in a different place, and, with all due respect, Harlin probably can't be as choosy as he perhaps could have been at one time. All the same, for the right kind of genre movie fan, this is a big deal.

Arclight Films

"Deep Water" hits theaters on May 1, 2026.