EXCLUSIVE: Hollywood action vet Renny Harlin is attached to direct rescue thriller Evac which will see a chopper crash-land in a volatile prison yard.
Evac will follow “a medical specialist who must team up with a wounded inmate she was sent to rescue after their medical helicopter crash-lands in a volatile prison yard. Together, the mismatched duo must survive the night and fight their way out amidst a dangerous, unfolding prison conspiracy.”
Written by Sidney King (Skyfire), the project is being produced by Michael Roccio (Human Capital), Robert Dean (Trap House) for uStudios, and producing partners Dawn Bursteen and Alan B. Bursteen of Milestone Studios, whose credits include the action-thriller Hunting Season and the upcoming horror film Invertigo, starring Inde Navarrette.
Casting discussions are under way with filming aimed at 2027.
Cliffhanger and Die Hard 2 filmmaker Harlin most recently directed The Beast with Samuel L. Jackson, shark thriller Deep Water with Aaron Eckhart and Ben Kingsley, and Lionsgate’s horror trilogy The Strangers.
“The script by Sidney King is a non-stop adrenaline rush,” said Harlin today. “It combines an intense, ticking-clock rescue mission with deep, character-driven stakes. The moment that chopper goes down, the audience will be trapped right there in the yard with our heroes. I’ve always loved high-octane stories where everyday professionals are thrown into extraordinary, survival-stakes environments.”
Producer Michael Roccio added: “We are thrilled to have Renny Harlin directing Evac. He is a true master of cinematic suspense and grand-scale action. Sidney has crafted a brilliant pressure-cooker world that balances prison politics with raw survival prowess. We are confident EVAC will become an unforgettable theatrical experience for action fans worldwide.”
Harlin is repped by M3 Global Strategy.