Deep Blue Sea director ditches sharks for orcas in upcoming ocean horror movie

Shark attack in Deep Blue Sea
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Deep Blue Sea director Renny Harlin just cannot keep away from murky waters, as the director is set to helm an upcoming horror movie about a killer orca.

Harlin, best known for his 1999 killer shark movie, is ditching great whites for killer whales in Black Tides, as reported by Deadline. This means that Harlin now has two horror movies on the way based on ocean slayers, the new orca movie Black Tides, and his previously announced shark movie Deep Water.

Inspired by real-life orca attacks that have occurred off the coast of southern Spain and Portugal, Black Tides follows a woman named Rebecca and her son who jet off to Spain in hopes of reuniting with her estranged father. However, their voyage soon becomes a bloody nightmare when they are relentlessly attacked by rogue orcas.

A terrifying as the movie sounds, we hope the cast are strong swimmers as the report also states that the movie will be shot "old-school" with "in-camera effects and real water work." Filming is due to start this summer.

As for Harlin, the director seems happy to be returning to what he does best. "I’m going back to the kind of filmmaking I love – intense, physical, and immersive. This one is built for the big screen," said the director. When making Deep Blue Sea, Harlin’s team shot real sharks out in the ocean, putting their lives at risk.

Black Tides is written by Buried’s Chris Sparling and Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End’s Ángel Agudo. We are still awaiting a confirmed release date and casting announcements for the movie.

For more, check out our list of the best horror movies, or our guide to all the upcoming horror movies heading our way.

Editorial Associate, GamesRadar+

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for SFX and Total Film online. I have a Bachelors Degree in Media Production and Journalism and a Masters in Fashion Journalism from UAL. In the past I have written for local UK and US newspaper outlets such as the Portland Tribune and York Mix and worked in communications, before focusing on film and entertainment writing. I am a HUGE horror fan and in 2022 I created my very own single issue feminist horror magazine.  

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