Director Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger, Die Hard 2) and producer Keith Kjarval (Dragged Across Concrete, Rudderless) are reuniting for Athina, an action thriller scheduled to begin principal photography across Europe in spring 2027. Penned by Kjarval, who will also produce under his Unified Pictures banner, the narrative centers on two estranged brothers who plunge into Athens’ criminal underworld to track down a missing young woman. During their pursuit, the siblings become ensnared in a violent turf war between two entrenched crime syndicates, forcing them to confront the dark history that fractured their relationship years prior.
The project marks the latest collaboration between the pair following The Beast, an action vehicle starring Samuel L. Jackson as the U.S. President and Joel Kinnaman as an injured Secret Service agent utilizing the offensive capabilities of the heavily armored presidential limousine. Domestic distribution rights were acquired by Aura Entertainment at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, with The Beast set to debut in theaters nationwide this Friday. Harlin’s recent directorial output includes the high-seas thriller Deep Water, starring Aaron Eckhart and Ben Kingsley, Lionsgate’s The Strangers horror trilogy, and The Bricklayer.
In addition to Athina, Kjarval is currently in post-production on the comedy-drama The Swimming Lesson, starring Heidi Gardner and William H. Macy, while developing the crime caper The Smack with filmmaker David M. Rosenthal attached to direct.
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