Bodies at Rest and The Misfits helmer Renny Harlin will direct new survival thriller Deep Water later this year. The film marks the launchpad of Simmons/Hamilton Productions (w/t), partnering KISS rock band member Gene Simmons and Arclight Films Chairman Gary Hamilton.
Deep Water will tell the adventurous tale of an eclectic group of international passengers whose plane, en route from LA 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.
Simmons and Hamilton are producing alongside Arclight’s Ying Ye and Rob Van Norden (Martin Campbell’s The Protégé). Arclight is launching worldwide sales at the Marché du Film, and “expects this action epic to create a feeding frenzy among the international buyers,” a statement reads.
“I’ve had my greatest success when working with planes or sharks. Getting to combine those two of my favorite thriller elements in a character driven action adventure is a dream come true. I can’t wait to take the audience on the scariest plane ride of their lives. Gene and Gary both are my old friends and I’m excited to rock n roll through the friendly skies with them,” said Harlin.
A multi-billion dollar fund manager is providing slate financing through a revolving finance facility for Simmons/Hamilton. The label is looking to produce twenty-five movies over an initial five-year period, focusing on action, thriller and genre titles with global franchise potential, according to a statement
Arclight CFO Brian Beckmann was responsible for the closing the slate funding deal. All films created under the new company will be produced by Simmons and Hamilton.
“Throughout my storied history in the music business, I’ve met all sorts of characters, but Gary Hamilton is the real deal! He’s a remarkable film executive and a great collaborator who, along with the fantastic team at Arclight Films, brings his expertise and outstanding knowledge of the film industry to this partnership. I am pumped and excited to be launching Deep Water as our first project together with the action maven Renny Harlin at the helm,” commented Simmons.
“This exciting new partnership is a beautiful marriage of outstanding production and sales might coupled with a colorful history of showmanship and shrewd business acumen. Gene is not only a talented musician and performer, but he’s also a very savvy businessman and one of the most formidable cinephiles I’ve ever met – he’s the perfect partner as we introduce Deep Water to our buyers in Cannes,” added Hamilton.
Seperately, Harlin is in post-production on a few other projects, including Aaron Eckhart action thriller The Bricklayer, and horror thriller The Refuge.