Cliffhanger Sequel Cast, Director, Producer, Plot And More Details
The 1980s and early '90s were a great time for big men with big muscles — jacked-up movie stars who blew up bad guys and shot anything that moved. And one of the titans of this action-packed era was Sylvester Stallone. While he found stardom with the thoughtful boxing drama "Rocky," he stayed an A-lister thanks to heavy-hitting thrillers like "Cobra," "Rocky IV," and the "First Blood" series. Often portraying lone-wolf heroes out to right wrongs and beat up hiss-worthy villains, Stallone is still going strong today, working in hit projects like "Tulsa King" and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."
Now, Stallone is set to revisit his bombastic past by returning to the white-knuckle world of "Cliffhanger." Released in 1993, the action flick found Stallone playing Gabe Walker, a mountain climber haunted by his inability to save a woman from falling to her death. Months later, Gabe's forced to scale those cliffs again — only this time, he's being forced at gunpoint by a group of thieves who want him to retrieve cash-filled briefcases in the deadly heights of the Italian Alps. The movie earned over $250 million at the box office, and now, Stallone is about to strap on his crampons again with a "Cliffhanger" sequel, taking audiences to new vertigo-inducing altitudes.
When will Cliffhanger be released?
At the present moment, only the most bare-bones information has been parceled out about the production of a new "Cliffhanger," other than the main revelation that it will join the venerable tradition of older Hollywood properties receiving legacy sequels. (Think "Creed," "Top Gun: Maverick," etc.) While we also know a few key players involved, we don't know whether filming has started on this production or when it might climb onto theater screens.
The fact is, the information so far seems to indicate that even if any production has begun, it can't involve much more than the most preliminary sort of activity. It seems the movie is still trying to find some big names to fill out the cast, and the script is coming from Mark Bianculli of Prime Video's "Hunters," but we don't know what stage the screenplay is in. In other words, we have quite a while to wait before "Cliffhanger" is released.
What is the plot of Cliffhanger?
"Cliffhanger" was obviously designed as a standalone movie, with Sylvester Stallone's Gabe Walker battling the heights, the elements, and heavily armed bad guys. So where exactly is the "Cliffhanger" sequel heading? Well, in speaking with Collider, director Ric Roman Waugh revealed the movie would be taking a page from the "Creed" playbook, with Stallone's character passing the baton on to a younger hero.
The film will focus on Gabe Walker and his daughter, along with a character the director describes as Gabe's "pseudo son." As Waugh explained, "They have a mountaineering company, Italian Alps. Tragedy strikes that's very similar to what happened in the original movie, so that father and daughter have to deal with that and how to overcome tragedy. How do we get through traumatic experiences and fight to move forward? ... And of course, there might be some nefarious bad guys that show up in the Italian Alps, and all hell breaks loose."
Who is starring in Cliffhanger?
While "Cliffhanger 2" info is kind of minimal at the moment, we do know one bit of extremely good news when it comes to the cast — Sylvester Stallone will be picking up his ice pick in the movie. Yep, the legendary action star is returning as Gabe Walker, although we don't know who'll be starring alongside him. As it seems Gabe's daughter will be crucial to the plot, as well as a younger male hero, the movie will be casting two younger actors to accompany Stallone up those cliffs. At the moment, we're not sure who those actors will be, so feel free to speculate away. However, based on a report from Variety, it does seem that one of these two characters will be the lead of the movie.
Having said that, we know the movie is in good hands with Stallone, who's been really great in recent years about playing backup to other stars. Obviously, he played mentor to Michael B. Jordan in the first two "Creed" movies, and he's also taken a backseat with "Expend4bles," allowing Jason Statham to shine as the lead. Despite some less-than-stellar movies he's made over the years, Stallone is truly a great actor, so we're excited to see him getting back out in the ice and snow, and hopefully, he'll get to clobber a few crooks along the way.
Who is directing Cliffhanger?
With Sylvester Stallone partaking in the re-imagined "Cliffhanger," the next must-know question is who's directing the feature. Well, filmmaking duties have gone to none other than experienced industry vet Ric Roman Waugh.
Waugh's first feature-length film was 2001's thriller "In the Shadows," which he followed up with movies like "Felon," "Snitch," and "Shot Caller." More recently, he's directed high-profile films such as "Angel Has Fallen," "Greenland," and "Kandahar." He's also a big "Cliffhanger" fan, telling Variety, "Growing up with the biggest action films of the '80s and '90s, working on many of them myself, 'Cliffhanger' was by far one of my favorite spectacles. Scaling the Italian Alps with the legend himself, Sylvester Stallone, is a dream come true."
Speaking with Collider, Waugh elaborated a bit more on his inspiration for "Cliffhanger 2," explaining he's been very influenced by the success of "Top Gun: Maverick," saying the Tom Cruise actioner was "just a brilliant execution of nostalgia from the original movie, carrying that stuff forward, giving us a new identity. We are gonna be doing a very similar thing with 'Cliffhanger.'" Waugh also promised that modern-day technology will take the sequel to new levels, especially in regards to sound design, saying, "We're gonna put you on the edge of that 1000-foot cliff, when your fingernails are hanging onto a ledge the size of penny, when you hear a boulder fly past your head and go to infinity, and your heartbeats reverberating off the rocks."
He's also promised that the film won't be relying on green screens, telling Collider, "The movie takes place in the Dolomites in the Italian Alps, and we will be shooting in the Dolomites and other places in Europe. We're doing it for real."
Who is producing Cliffhanger?
Stallone's "Cliffhanger" will boast a number of powerhouse names from the world of Hollywood. First, there's "Fast and Furious" franchise pro Neal H. Moritz's Original Film. In addition to the multi-billion dollar "Fast and Furious" series, Original Film is the producing entity behind titles including "I Am Legend," "S.W.A.T.," and "Sonic the Hedgehog," as well as Amazon's smash hit TV series "The Boys."
"I'll never forget the thrill I felt watching Sylvester Stallone in 'Cliffhanger,'" Moritz told Variety. "I am incredibly excited to be working with him and Ric Waugh to continue the story of Gabe Walker and introduce this iconic story to a new generation of filmgoers around the world."
Also in the production line up is London-based Rocket Science, with credits including Aaron Sorkin's "The Trial of the Chicago Seven" and "All Quiet on the Western Front." Rounding out the production team is Sylvester Stallone and Braden Aftergood's Balboa Productions, with credits including the "Samaritan" and "Rambo: Last Blood." Balboa Productions is also involved in television series production, including recent work on Taylor Sheridan's "Tulsa King."