John Travolta, the Hollywood icon whostarred in filmslikePulp FictionandSaturday Night Fever, is set to continue his late-career run of movies with a role in Renny Harlin’s next movie,Black Tides. Travolta’s last big studio project was in 2012, when he starred in Oliver Stone’sSavages, and since then, he has mostly appeared in low-budget or independentactionfilms.
Black Tidesisn’t exactly a big Hollywood studio film. It’s produced by Nostromo Pictures, the Spanish TV studio led by Adrián Guerra and Núria Valls. The studio has previously backed films likeBuriedandBird Box Barcelonaand is now producing the Travolta-led feature which has been categorized as an “orca survival thriller.”
As reported by Deadline, the story follows “Bill Pierce (Travolta), an estranged father whose attempt to reconnect with his daughter and grandson turns into a harrowing battle for survival when their boat is attacked by rogue orcas off the southern coast of Spain.”
John Travolta’s Best Movies, Ranked
John Travolta has starred in some of Hollywood’s most iconic movies, from classics like Carrie and Saturday Night Fever to big hits like Pulp Fiction.
Renny Harlin isthe filmmaker behind major actionfilms likeCliffhanger,Die Hard 2, andDeep Blue Sea. He also has good horror credentials, having madeDevil’s Pass,Exorcist: The Beginning,The CovenantandThe Strangers: Chapter 1. It’s not the first time Harlin has worked alongside Nostromo in an open-sea thriller, as they’ve also collaborated on the upcoming shark survival thrillerDeep Water, starring Ben Kingsley, Angus Sampson, and Aaron Eckhart. Harlin was excited about the new film’s announcement and showed nothing but admiration for theBlack Tidesstar:
“John Travolta brings the perfect combination of grit, depth, vulnerability and charisma to the character of Bill Pierce, the estranged father, who achingly captures the tragedies of family dynamics.
“I can’t wait to show fans of big screen cinema how his movie star presence and physicality will add gravity to the epic action sequences and deeply emotional personal drama. As a director, I consider myself fortunate to join a list of acclaimed filmmakers who’ve had the privilege of getting to know John as an artist and a person.”
Black Tidesis written by Chris Sparling (Buried) and Ángel Agudo (Apocalypse Z). PerDeadline, production begins at the end of summer, and Harlin is seeking to “shot old-school, with in-camera effects and real water work.” The Solution Entertainment Group is currently seeking buyers at Cannes.
John Travolta Surely Needs a Big Comeback
TheGet ShortyandBlow Outstar hasn’t had a “big” movie for a long time, but he has continued to work consistently. He’s due for a big screen comeback, just like the one he had in the early ’90s when Quentin Tarantino cast him inPulp Fictionandbrought his career back from the dead. Lately, his movies have been panned by critics and most have headed straight to streaming, although some have found an audience on free streaming platforms.
Black Tidesproducer Adrián Guerra is confident that Travolta is the right pick for the survival thriller: “You build a film like this around very few people. John’s one of them. He brings the history, the craft, and the instinct that lets a character land in a way that lasts.”
