A Cliffhanger reboot with a female lead (and a Jason Momoa cameo) is currently in the works. Within the past several years, it’s become clear that slowly but surely, things are beginning to change in Hollywood. Criticized for their lack of diversity and gender biases, many studios are rethinking the way they create cinema.
As the popular concept of rebooting past hits continues to thrive, the public demand for a new focus on characters and perspectives has resulted in some popular franchises like Ghostbusters and Oceans 11 doing away with male leads and replacing them with women. Whether the concept has been successful or not is arguable, but at present it’s perhaps too early to tell if the gender swapped reboot will eventually catch on in a big way. One of the numerous titles still awaiting a fresh lease on life is the 1993, rock-climbing action/adventure romp, Cliffhanger. The original film starred Sylvester Stallone and was a sizeable hit, bringing in more than $255 million globally on a $70 million budget. A reboot has been in the works for some time, but we now know in exactly what direction the project is heading.
According to Deadline, Fast & Furious franchise producer Neal Moritz is set to produce a Cliffhanger reboot through his Original Film banner, alongside Rocket Science Productions. The new take on the classic action-thriller will replace Stallone’s Gabe Walker character with a yet to be named female lead. As of this writing, Jason Momoa is said to be in talks to join the film’s roster in a cameo role. You can check out a promotional poster for the reboot below:
This new take on Cliffhanger will be directed by Ana Lily Amirpour, who broke on to the scene in 2014 with her Iranian vampire film, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. Though casting for the film is already underway, there still isn’t a script. However, Sascha Penn (Creed II) is reportedly at work on the screenplay, with a first draft expected in the coming weeks. Rebooting Cliffhanger has been an ongoing passion project over the course of the last number of years for Moritz, and the project – which is heading to this month’s Cannes Film Festival – will be looking to secure an international rights sale at the prestigious festival’s film market, the Marché du Film.
So far, Moritz has been clear that he’s looking to expand this reboot into a potential franchise opportunity, which is an interesting concept, though it’s unclear exactly what that would look like. What's clear is that Moritz's experience with The Fast & Furious franchise – which is Universal’s most successful franchise of all time – is indeed advantageous. Predictably, there will be the usual whining and pouting by some over the reboot’s gender-swapping, but ultimately a new take on this great film is exciting news for those interested in seeing Hollywood push its boundaries.
Source: Deadline