“Cliffhanger,” a reimagining of Sylvester Stallone’s mountaineering thriller starring Lily James and Pierce Brosnan, is reinforcing a new strategy for its summer theatrical release, multiple sources have told Variety.
The fate of the film, helmed by action director Jaume Collet-Serra (Carry On), has been a lingering question in the industry since March. It comes at a time when upstart distributor Row K experienced the departure of its top creative executive after just eight months in operation, sparking speculation about financial troubles.
The Row K team has been working closely with IP packager and distributor CAA Media Finance for almost a decade to find strategies that guarantee maximum returns. According to four sources, they may have found it with Tom Quinn’s neon. Neon was scheduled to be in charge of the domestic release of “Cliffhanger” through its sub-label Decal on its scheduled opening date in August. If the deal goes through (which is still a possibility), Decal will also handle all ancillary business for the film, including international sales and other subsequent outlets.
Decal is run by executive Andrew Brown and was originally conceived as a joint home entertainment venture with Neon and fellow indie releaser Bleecker Street. Brown joined Neon in 2022 as president of digital distribution and has since been responsible for numerous film releases outside of the company.
Row K burst onto the scene at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival with a bang, winning multiple titles for North America, including Maud Apatow’s “Poetic License,” Gus Van Sant’s “Dead Man’s Wire,” and the indie romance film “Charlie Harper.” Variety reported in March that the company, founded by Christopher Woodrow and Raj Singh, suffered heavy losses on the release of Dead Man, setting off a domino effect.
Apatow’s new home in the film is expected to be announced in the coming months. It’s unclear whether Row K will move forward with production on “Charlie Harper,” but no date has been set yet. Unsurprisingly, executives from Row K’s parent company Media Capital Technologies were also in attendance at Cannes, where they even hosted a glitzy cocktail party. They are undaunted after a tough start and are looking for creative consultants to step into their shoes.
