Renny Harlin to Direct Orca Attack Thriller ‘Black Tides’ with In-Camera Effects

Not to be confused with his upcoming shark thriller Deep Water, Renny Harlin (Deep Blue Sea, Die Hard 2) is diving back into the water to direct Black Tides, Deadline reports.

Written by Chris Sparling (Buried) and Ángel Agudo (Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End), the survival thriller is inspired by real-life orca attacks that have occurred off the coast of southern Spain and Portugal.

It follows Rebecca, who reunites with her estranged father, Bill, in sunny Málaga expecting a healing family trip with her young son, Sebastian. Instead, their voyage across the Strait of Gibraltar becomes a nightmare as they’re relentlessly attacked by rogue orcas. Rebecca, confronting deep emotional wounds, must rise as an unlikely hero in a battle for survival.

Due to shoot at the end of the summer, the film will be “shot old-school, with in-camera effects and real water work.”

Nostromo Pictures (Buried) is producing. The Solution Entertainment Group is set to launch worldwide sales at Cannes.

“This film grabs you by the throat and the heart,” said Harlin. “I’m going back to the kind of filmmaking I love—intense, physical, and immersive. This one is built for the big screen.”

“We’re going back to what makes thrillers unforgettable—precision filmmaking, real tension, and emotional weight,” producer Adrián Guerra added. “Every shot is designed to build pressure, every choice anchored in character. Shot in real conditions, this is a physical, immersive experience made for the cinema. It doesn’t just entertain—it holds you in its grip.”

Deep Blue Sea

The post Renny Harlin to Direct Orca Attack Thriller ‘Black Tides’ with In-Camera Effects appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.