Veteran horror director Renny Harlin is diving back into shark-infested territory with Deep Water, a new survival thriller set to hit theaters on May 1, 2026.

Best known to horror fans for Deep Blue Sea, Harlin returns to the genre that helped define his career—this time delivering a high-stakes disaster story in the middle of the open ocean.

Produced by Gene Simmons, Deep Water will be released exclusively in theaters by Magenta Light Studios. The film has been rated R for violent content, bloody imagery, and language.

The film stars Aaron Eckhart, Ben Kingsley, Molly Wright, Angus Sampson, Kelly Gale, and Li Wenhan.

In Deep Water, a commercial flight traveling from Los Angeles to Shanghai crashes into the Pacific Ocean. The survivors manage to escape the wreckage—only to realize they’ve landed in shark-infested waters. Trapped in the remains of a sinking plane, the group must put aside their differences and work together to survive both the elements and the deadly predators circling below.

The screenplay comes from Pete Bridges and the writing team of Shayne Armstrong and S.P. Krause, blending large-scale disaster storytelling with relentless creature horror.

Harlin has described the film as a passion project inspired by the disaster films of the 1970s, aiming to deliver intense action alongside emotional, character-driven stakes.

With a career spanning genre staples like A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master and The Exorcist: The Beginning, Harlin’s return to shark horror is shaping up to be a brutal, high-tension ride for fans of survival thrillers.

Deep Water arrives in theaters May 1, 2026.