I can’t wait for Aaron Eckhart’s upcoming disaster movie, which promises to be the Deep Blue Sea I’ve waited 25 years to see. I can still vividly recall the visceral shock that rippled through the theater during Samuel L. Jackson’s death in Deep Blue Sea in 1999, where his character is snatched by a shark in the middle of a stirring speech. This has since become the most iconic part of the Renny Harlin-directed blockbuster, but there’s still plenty to enjoy about this finely crafted B-movie.

Deep Blue Sea arrived at a curious time for visual effects, with the animatronic sharks that stalk the lead characters still looking incredible. On the flipside, the CGI sharks have aged terribly, with the tech just not being up to the task during that era. The film never touches the greatness of Jaws, but the original Deep Blue Sea movie has attracted a sizable cult for its great cast, thrilling action, and – of course – Jackson’s surprise demise.

Aaron Eckhart Will Front A New Shark Movie From Deep Blue Sea’s Director

Deep Water has Renny Harlin swimming back into shark-infested waters

I’ve also been delighted by Aaron Eckhart’s transformation into an action star, especially after he fronted the cast of The Bricklayer. A decade ago it would be easy to picture Liam Neeson playing that role, with the story finding Eckhart’s former CIA agent pulled back into his old life and punching a lot of people. Renny Harlin also directed The Bricklayer, and Eckhart and Harlin will reunite for the upcoming Deep Water, a mix of the horror and disaster genres. This finds Eckhart as the pilot of an international flight that is forced to crash-land in shark-infested waters.

As their plane sinks, Eckhart’s character must figure out a way to get his passengers to safety as sharks begin to circle the wreckage. I’ve always been fond of Harlin’s action output – which includes Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger – but his career began in horror, with A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master being his breakthrough. Harlin is hardly a master of restraint or subtly, but he brings an energy and showmanship to his horror projects that make him stand out from his peers.

That’s why Eckhart and Harlin’s Deep Water is giving me serious Deep Blue Sea vibes. The director previously passed on sequels to his shark opus, which utterly lacked the flair he brought to the first outing. Deep Water’s setup sounds more serious than Deep Blue Sea, but it will no doubt contain wild deaths and action regardless. Even Harlin’s lackluster Exorcist prequel contained some memorable sequences and blasts of gore, so a return to Deep Blue Sea terrority sounds like a fun time to me.

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Deep Water Could Make Up For The Disappointment Of Deep Blue Sea’s Bad Sequels

How is the third movie not called Deep Blue Three?

Deep Blue Sea was a modest success, though it took some time for its cult reputation to grow. Despite all the “evil” sharks having been destroyed by the movie’s finale, I still held out hope for a sequel. It turned out to be an almost 20-year wait too, though neither 2018’s Deep Blue Sea 2 nor 2020’s third entry proved to be worth the long gap. These were low-budget, STV affairs with little in the way of direct connections to the Harlin’s epic.

None of the original filmmakers or cast returned, though in fairness, only two characters survived the first movie. Watching Deep Blue Sea 2 was particularly disappointing for me, with the follow-up being a cheap, badly acted bore. Deep Water at least won’t have that problem, since the cast includes Eckhart and Ben Kingsley, among others. Harlin has been extremely prolific in recent years too, with the filmmaker also helming the rebooted Strangers trilogy that will all release in 2024.

Deep Water Continues Eckhart’s Action Movie Evolution

The Bricklayer has laid a template for Eckhart’s current career

I’ve always been a fan of Eckhart, and kind of shocked his career didn’t explode following The Dark Knight. Unfortunately, it feels like major studios weren’t sure how to plug him into a more traditional leading man mold, but that’s not to say he hasn’t done some good work in the years since in projects like Sully. After a few years fronting action thrillers like Muzzle, Harlin’s The Bricklayer gave Eckhart his best role in years and one that used both his action and acting chops to great effect.

While the world awaits news of a potential Bricklayer 2, a reunion with Harlin for a creature feature is the next best thing. Even better, if it’s the gonzo Deep Blue Sea-style shark movie I’m hoping it will be. It’s also nice to see Eckhart having found his niche, and embracing genre in a way actors of his caliber rarely do. Deep Water will continue that trajectory and will make a nice break from playing surly CIA agents for its leading man.

Source: The Numbers, Rotten Tomatoes

Deep Blue Sea

A sci-fi action horror film released in 1999, Deep Blue Sea follows a group of scientists trapped in the ocean deep within a research facility as several massive genetically altered sharks begin to wreak havoc. Despite the researcher’s best intentions, the scientific experiments conducted in this facility have grown hyper-intelligent and incredibly strong, making them apex predators the likes that have never been seen.

Director

Renny Harlin

Release Date

July 28, 1999

Distributor(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Writers

Duncan Kennedy , Donna Powers , Wayne Powers

Cast

Saffron Burrows , Thomas Jane , LL Cool J , Jacqueline McKenzie , Michael Rapaport , Stellan Skarsgård , Samuel L. Jackson

Budget

$60 million

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