Lily James teases that her upcoming movie Cliffhanger is very different from Sylvester Stallone’s original movie she’s remaking. News of the Cliffhanger reboot movie came last year as James was revealed to be the franchise’s new star, with Jaume Collet-Serra directing and Pierce Brosnan acting as a co-star.
The upcoming film is a remake of Sylvester Stallone’s 1993 action film directed by Renny Harlin. He starred as a mountain climber who is thrust into a position to stop a plane robbery after failing to save his girlfriend. Cliffhanger was a huge hit, grossing $255 million worldwide, making the TriStar Pictures release the seventh biggest film of 1993.
There have not been many updates on the reboot since it was announced, but star Lily James provided some new Cliffhanger details during a recent interview with Screen Rant’s Joe Deckelmeier to promote her new film, Finally Dawn, which hits theaters on July 18, 2025. James teased her practical stunts, the sisterly-focused story, and how its different from Stallone’s film.
I don’t want to say too much to give it away right now. What I will say is I had one of the most thrilling experiences of my life. We sH๏τ in the Dolomites. We were there for six weeks on the mountains. I was really hanging off mountains. We had to shut down multiple times because of freak snowstorms. The story is very much through Naomi and her sister Sydney. I would hope that we are maintaining what people love about the original cliffhanger, but it’s definitely different. It’s feral, it’s raw. It’s a real re-imagining, and I am producing it too. And I loved working with Jaume Collet-Sera, who’s directing it. We have a wonderful cast. Pierce Brosnan is just a dream, and we’re in the edit phase now, but I’m really, really excited to share this one. And I fell completely in love with rock climbing. I became utterly obsessed. And getting physically strong for that was one of the biggest challenges. But getting to really do it and really do all that climbing was seriously empowering really. And I loved it.
What Lily James’ Comments Mean For The Cliffhanger Reboot
She’s Selling The Exciting Parts Of The Reimagining
While Lily James doesn’t give too much away about the new Cliffhanger reboot in terms of specific story or character details, there are a lot of good updates provided by her quote. Notably, it will not be a beat-for-beat remake of Stallone’s action movie thanks to a variety of changes.
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Cliffhanger Key Facts |
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Main Cast |
Box Office |
Critic RT Score |
Audience RT Score |
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Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow, Michael Rooker, Janine Turner |
$255 million |
68% |
53% |
It should be reᴀssuring to fans of the original film that James’ new take is utilizing practical action and climbing. She confirms that she did the mountain climbing herself and trained hard to make it realistic. The “feral” and “raw” elements she teases should fit nicely with action scenes that are done for real.
It is intriguing to note that James teases the importance of her character, Naomi, and her relationship with her sister, Sydney. The original reports about the Cliffhanger reboot said it was a “father-daughter take on Die Hard,” with Brosnan playing the father.
Lily James and Pierce Brosnan previously worked together on Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Casting for Sydney has not been officially confirmed, but Nell Tiger Free (The First Omen) makes the most sense based on who is officially part of the cast. This suggests Cliffhanger is about Naomi and Sydney going to save their father.
It’s also worth noting that James confirms the reboot is deep in the editing phase of post-production. While the movie does not have a release date yet, it could be ready to come out later this year or early 2026 if the edit comes together smoothly.
Our Take On Lily James’ Cliffhanger Reboot
The Reboot Sounds Promising
As someone who likes Stallone’s original 1993 action movie and is a big fan of Lily James in general, my curiosity in the Cliffhanger reboot has been high since it was announced. But, her comments make it sound like it should more than live up to the original.
I’m especially excited to see Lily James take on an action role like this. Hearing that the movie gave her a newfound obsession with rock climbing shows just how much she loved this experience. If that pᴀssion translates to the screen, Cliffhanger could be a great reboot and maybe even a franchise starter.
