After taking on zombies, singing Abba songs and baring all while playing Pamela Anderson, Lily James has been challenging herself in a very different way as she takes the lead in the sequel to Sylvester Stallone’s action thriller, Cliffhanger. While talking to MovieWeb’s George Edelman about her movie, Relay, James revealed the dedication she has put into making sure the movie is as authentic as possible.
The Cliffhanger sequel has been through some rocky times since it was first announced, with Stallone originally set to return to his role as Gabe Walker. The plot of the movie would have seen Walker being kidnapped and having to be rescued by his daughter, but since then Stallone dropped out and Pierce Brosnan stepped in to play Walker’s replacement, Ray Cooper, while James plays his daughter, Sydney.
For the role, James actually learned to climb and literally threw herself into the role so much that she has become addicted to it. She explained:
“The experience was just unbelievably exhilarating for me. I really learned to climb. I spent like months on the mountain, hours every day, and I am a complete climbing addict now. I find it as something that connects mind, body, soul. When you climb, it’s so meditative, but also that sort of strength and dynamite dynamism you need as a kind of climber, I just it’s something I’m going to keep up in my life. And I loved getting strong. I loved doing my own climbing and I hope we maintain what people love about cliffhanger, but it’s a completely different take. I’m producing it too, so we’re in the thick of it right now, but I’m really proud and really excited to share it.”
Is the ‘Cliffhanger’ Sequel Really a Sequel Without Sylvester Stallone?
While it is not always a necessity, many sequels usually have at least one character that connects to what came before. That is usually the rule that makes a sequel a sequel. Cliffhanger 2 seems to be following the original in name alone, which begs the question of why the film is still gripping onto the Cliffhanger title.
There is nothing to say that the film cannot prove every bit as successful as its predecessor with the well-liked Brosnan alongside James instead of Stallone, but the idea of making a sequel to a movie after 30 years and not having the original star back in the cast seems like the kind of thing that Cliffhanger fans will not be too happy about.
However, action movies have been delivering some strong results at the box office recently, and having a former James Bond on board is nothing to be sniffed at. Following its creative overhaul at the end of 2024, it is expected that Cliffhanger 2 will finally look to scale the movie charts sometime in 2026.
- Release Date
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May 28, 1993
- Runtime
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112 Minutes
- Director
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Renny Harlin
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
