Renny Harlin, the filmmaker behind action hits like Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger, as well as the fourth entry in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, is attached to direct Evac, an action thriller in which a medical helicopter crash-lands in a volatile prison yard, leaving a rescue specialist and her wounded inmate target fighting for survival.
The film centres on a medical specialist sent to extract an injured inmate. When their helicopter crashes inside the prison yard, the unlikely allies must survive the night and find a way out while caught up in a dangerous conspiracy within the prison.
Sidney King (Skyfire), penned the screenplay. 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. The company’s credits include the action thriller Hunting Season and the upcoming horror film Invertigo, starring Inde Navarrette.
Casting discussions are under way, with production targeted for 2027.
Harlin’s recent directing credits include The Beast, starring Samuel L. Jackson, the shark thriller Deep Water, featuring Aaron Eckhart and Ben Kingsley, and Lionsgate’s The Strangers horror trilogy.
“The script by Sidney King is a non-stop adrenaline rush,” said Harlin. “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.”
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.”
