Principal photography for Jaume Collet-Serra’s Cliffhanger reboot is officially underway in Austria, where Lily James defies gravity while pushing herself to the limit. Today, Rocket Science, in partnership with Thank You Pictures and Supernix, unveiled two first-look images from the film’s shoot in Austria’s East Tyrol region of the Lienz Dolomites. I hope you don’t get vertigo because the reboot of Sylvester Stallone’s 1993 thriller, starring Lily James (Cinderella, Baby Driver, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) and Pierce Brosnan (Mrs. Doubtfire, Goldeneye, Die Another Day), looks like it’s off to an exciting start.
“In this reboot of Cliffhanger, seasoned mountaineer Ray Cooper (Pierce Brosnan) and his daughter Sydney run a mountain chalet in the Dolomites. During a weekend trip with a billionaire’s son, they are targeted by a gang of kidnappers. Ray’s older daughter Naomi (Lily James), still haunted by a past climbing accident, witnesses the attack and escapes. To save her family, she must confront her fears and fight for survival in the Italian Dolomites.”
Additional cast members include Nell Tiger Free (The First Omen, Servant), Franz Rogowski (Passages, Great Freedom), Shubham Saraf (Shantaram and Criminal), Assaad Bouab (Franklin, Bad Sisters), Suzy Bemba (Poor Things, Homecoming) and Bruno Gouery (The White Lotus, Emily in Paris, Modi).
Filming locations for Cliffhanger expand beyond Austria’s East Tyrol region to include the Carinthia regions of the Lienz Dolomites, which recently moved to Germany’s Penzing Studios near Munich, Bavaria, and will wrap in Italy.
Speaking about the complexity of filming his Cliffhanger reboot, Jaume Collet-Serra commented on Lily James’ tenacity and strength for the role, as well as the challenge of capturing the grandeur of the pulse-pounding action film, saying, “Shooting our movie on location in the Dolomites using large format cameras was imperative for us to show the scope and scale of the story we’re telling. We’re going to bring the audience a truly thrilling and visceral, premium theatrical experience. Lily in particular has gone above and beyond for the role, putting in real training and learning to climb. Her dedication has allowed us to capture some incredible shots we couldn’t have achieved otherwise, and the whole crew is blown away by her commitment.”
Unsurprisingly, Stallone’s Cliffhanger holds up incredibly well after all these years. During my most recent rewatch, the movie still packs an intense punch to your senses as its characters dangle from danger and dodge bullets while trudging through the snow. Cliffhanger also gives us the gift of John Lithgow’s hilarious British accent, which I could not ignore, and entertains throughout the caper. We’re excited to find out if Lily James has what it takes to honor the original film’s legacy. If today’s first-look images are any indication, she’s up to the task.
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