Vertical has secured U.S. distribution rights to Jonathan Hensleigh’s action thriller Ice Road: Vengeance. The film stars Liam Neeson (The Naked Gun, Taken), Fan Bingbing (The 355, X-Men: Days of Future Past), and Marcus Thomas (The Ice Road, Kill the Irishman). This sequel to 2021’s The Ice Road will open in select theaters on June 27 and become available on demand on July 1.
Jonathan Hensleigh, known for writing Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995) and co-writing Armageddon (1998), returns to direct the sequel based on his own screenplay. The story follows big rig ice road driver Mike McCann (played by Neeson) as he travels to Nepal to scatter his late brother’s ashes on Mt. Everest. While traveling on a crowded tour bus along the dangerous 12,000-foot-high Road to the Sky, McCann and his mountain guide (Fan Bingbing) encounter a group of Nepali mercenaries. They must fight to protect themselves, the passengers, and the local villagers’ land. The film was previously titled Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky.
Vertical Partner Peter Jarowey praised the film, saying, “Jonathan’s first Ice Road movie was an explosive thriller and the sequel does not disappoint. Liam Neeson versus mercenaries on the road to Mt. Everest? What more could audiences want?”
Hensleigh added, “I’m thrilled that so many people are going to get to see this movie that I love so much.”
The film was fully financed by Code Entertainment and ShivHans Pictures. Producers include Al Corley, Bart Rosenblatt, and Eugene Musso of Code Entertainment, along with Shivani Rawat and Julie Goldstein of ShivHans Pictures, director Jonathan Hensleigh, and Lee Nelson and David Tish of Envision Media Arts.
Executive producers are Jonathan Dana; Connor Flanagan of ShivHans Pictures; Lisa Wilson and Myles Nestel of The Solution Entertainment Group; and John Leonetti. David Buelow of Envision Media Arts also serves as executive producer.
The film’s key crew includes director of photography Tom Stern (American Sniper, The Hunger Games), production designer Penelope Southgate (Sleeping Dogs), editor Luke Doolan (Animal Kingdom), and costume designer Katherine Milne (Blacklight). Casting was led by Stevie Ray (Plum), with music composed by Michael Yezerski (The Deb).
The U.S. distribution deal was negotiated by Peter Jarowey and Tony Piantedosi, SVP of Acquisitions at Vertical, and CAA Media Finance represented the filmmakers. International sales are managed by The Solution Entertainment Group.
Representatives for the talent include CAA, attorney Mark Stankevich, and Bespoke Publicity for Liam Neeson; The David Lonner Company for Jonathan Hensleigh; and Chris Prapha and David Unger at Artist International Group along with Doug Stone at Glaser Weil for Fan Bingbing.
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