Aaron Eckhart and Molly Belle Wright in Deep Water. Provided photo.

Imagine this: you’re a passenger on a flight from Los Angeles to Shanghai, and the plane suddenly goes down in the middle of the Pacific. Miraculously, you and a number of other passengers survive—however, your plight is not over— the remote coral reef you find yourself stranded on, is surrounded by shark-infested waters.

Such is the plot of Deep Water, Sarasota Film Festival’s Opening Night film. Deep Water, which will be released in theaters on May 1, is directed by action-film veteran Renny Harlin, and stars Aaron Eckhart and Ben Kingsley as the two pilots of the doomed passenger plane. Harlin, best known for directing Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, Deep Blue Sea and the latest The Strangers trilogy, was drawn to the project for a multitude of reasons, including the human component of the story.

“The idea of the movie was very much in line with the kind of movies that I loved growing up,” says Harlin. “Movies like Airport and The Poseidon Adventure, big disaster films with a large cast of characters that are put in an impossible situation and we see how they survive.”

Harlin is reluctant to put a traditional label on Deep Water, maintaining that the interlacing emotional arcs of the characters are just as powerful as the jump scares and spectacle of the setting. “I wouldn’t call it a horror film. I wouldn’t call it a shark film or a plane film,” says Harlin. “It’s a disaster-drama. What’s just as entertaining as the plane crash, if not more, are the human stories and dramas in the movie. That’s what I really concentrated on.”

Harlin has collaborated with Eckhart before, directing the veteran actor in the 2024 spy film, The Bricklayer. “He comes from this very serious character actor background, but he also has the leading man looks and has been very selective in his career,” says Harlin of his leading man. “When I worked with him on The Bricklayer, I already knew he was a great actor, but I soon realized what a dedicated, passionate person he was. I love working with him.”

Deep Water, April 10, 6:00pm, New College of Florida/Sanier Pavilion, 5313 Bayshore Rd., Sarasota. Renny Harlin and producer Gene Simmons in attendance. Screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and shark experts.

Aaron Eckhart and Molly Belle Wright in Deep Water. Provided photo.

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