Release Date: Summer 2000 (recently rumored as June 9th, 2000; past rumors have included August and late July as well)

Distributor: Columbia Pictures

Cast: Chris O'Donnell, Bill Paxton, Scott Glenn ("Absolute Power"), Nicholas Lea ("Krycek" on "The X-Files"), Bill Paxton ("Titanic"), Temuera Morrison ("Once Were Warriors"), Izabella Scorupco ("GoldenEye"), Alexander Siddig ("Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"), Robin Tunney ("The Craft")

Director: Martin Campbell ("The Mask of Zorro", "Goldeneye")

Screenwriter: Robert King ("Speechless", "Red Corner", "Clean Slate")

Premise: When a group of mountain climbers on K2, the second tallest mountain in the world, become trapped in a "vertical cave" (essentially a pit on the side of the mountain), the brother (O'Donnell) of one of the climbers (Tunney) comes out of retirement to lead the effort to save them.

Filming: Though the real K2 mountain is located between Pakistan and China, this film will primarily be shot in New Zealand, on and around Mt. Cook and Queenstown, starting August 2nd and continuing until December, 1999. It may be interesting to note that also in production in New Zealand at the same time will be the first few months of The Lord of the Rings. Filming wrapped in mid-February, 2000.

Genres: Action/Thriller
 

Greg's Preview Thoughts: As mentioned in my preview page for The Perfect Storm, one of the themes in large-scale cinema that seems to be most universal are stories of man against nature and it's dangerous majesty. There haven't been that many big-budget mountain-climbing films in recent years (I can only remember 1993's "Cliffhanger" and 1991's "K2"), and as such, that gives this film a distinct niche to fill. The dangers and threats inherent in mountain climbing (combining extreme heights, cold, and sharp, very hard rock) make the sport one of the most daring adventures left today, and this film appears likely to capture both the thrills and threats of one of the world's largest mountains.

With director Martin Campbell at the helm, we know we're getting someone who can choreograph action scenes quite smoothly and energetically (his "The Mask of Zorro" was one of my favorite films of 1998), and this looks like Chris O'Donnell's chance to return to the lucrative action film genre without the luggage of the whole Batman image.

As filming begins on this project in New Zealand, I look forward to hearing and reporting more on this film that looks to be an exciting and frightening tale of mountain climbing. Stay tuned!

Chris O'Donnell is ready for the action-adventure "The Vertical Limit", directed by Martin Campbell. The movie starts filming August 2 and is slated for a summer 2000 release.

O'Donnell will play a young mountain climber who retires from the sport and becomes estranged from his sister after they are involved in the tragic death of their father in a climbing accident.

Three years later, when his sister and other members of her summit team become trapped on K2, he must go back into action and mount an extraordinary rescue effort in a race against time to save them. Nicholas Lea, aka Alex Krycek in "The X-Files", plays the team leader. Rat lovers can see his exaggerated acting in the silver screen!

The film begins to shoot in the Queenstown and Mt. Cook areas in New Zealand and will continue there until Christmas time.

The director Martin Campbell is probably best known in the box office success of Columbia's 1998 summer hit "The Mask of Zorro" and the 1995 James Bond's "Golden Eye".

-From Cyber-ex Online
 
 

Premise

A young, ambitious mountain climber retires from the sport and becomes estranged from his sister after they are involved in the tragic death of their father in a climbing accident. Three years later, when his sister and other members of her summit team become trapped on K2, the second highest mountain in the world, he must go back into action and mount an extraordinary rescue effort in a race against time to save them.

Scoop Feedback:

[Page draft submitted by 'Deadpool', hanging off of a cliff face with a laptop.]

June 7, 1999... Shooting begins in New Zealand in the Queenstown and Mt. Cook areas on August 2nd. The production will continue to film there right through until December. Several of the best mountain climbers from around the world who have summited the earth's highest peaks serve as consultants and crew members on the film. Further casting announcements for the picture will be made in the coming weeks. [Scoop provided by 'Deadpool', taken from the Columbia press release.]

December 17, 1999... After a slight mix-up with the Vertical Run page, our update to the film's cast and crew listing has come to the right page. Chris O'Donnell has been cast as the leading man, with actors Scott Glenn (Absolute Power), Robin Tunney (End of Days), Bill Paxton (Titanic), Izabella Scorupco (GoldenEye), Temuera Morrison (Once Were Warriors), Nicholas Lea (The X-Files) and Alexander Siddig (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) also cast in the film.