Norwegian Violent Night director Tommy Wirkola has something other than holiday fear in store this year. As opposed to the blood-fueled, action-packed horror film that made its mark in the snow in 2022, Wirkola’s new thriller will come splashing into theaters in 2025. Shark thriller Beneath the Storm is anticipated to be just as bloody and violent as his previous box office hit Violent Night, but with a seasonal switch-up that’s different from Wirkola’s other work.
Per Variety, Beneath the Storm will be released by Columbia Pictures and stars Phoebe Dynevor (Fair Play, Bridgerton), Whitney Peak (Hocus Pocus 2, Gossip Girl), and Djimon Hounsou (A Quiet Place: Day One, Rebel Moon). Adam McKay and Kevin Messik will serve as the producers. Besides Violent Night, Wirkola is perhaps best known for directing films like Dead Snow, What Happened to Monday, and Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. His most recent animated feature-length film, Spermageddon, was a hit at the 2024 Annecy Animation Festival.
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Many horror enthusiasts are excited to see Dynevor take the lead in yet another thriller. She’s perhaps best known for portraying Daphne in Netflix’s Bridgerton but has also appeared in films like Fair Play, Bank of Dave, and The Colour Room. Dynevor not only received a BAFTA Rising Star Award nomination in 2024 but was also recently cast in the Miramax spy thriller Inheritance, set to be directed by Neil Burger.
Meanwhile, Peak is best known for her quirky roles in spooky coming-of-age projects, such as Disney+’s sequel Hocus Pocus 2 and Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. One of her most recent projects is the upcoming action thriller Trap House, where she co-stars alongside Dave Bautista, Jack Champion, Sophia Lillis, and Bobby Cannavale.
Hounsou has made his mark in the thriller genre by starring in A Quiet Place: Day One, as well as in Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon films. He’s also succeeded in earning Oscar nominations for his performances in Blood Diamond and In America.
Upcoming Shark Films Compete in Open Waters
While plot details for Beneath the Storm have yet to be revealed, the storyline is said to revolve around shark-related terror, with elements of adventure and suspense intertwined. Beneath the Storm is set to compete against Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation’s The Bad Guys 2, which will also be released in theaters on August 1, 2025. The Bad Guys 2 takes on a shark theme as well. However, in a much more family-friendly way, the animated feature will follow an anthropomorphic shark and his friends on a heartwarming adventure.
Wirkola’s upcoming thriller is just one of many shark films in the works, with High Tide (starring Lizzy Greene) and Dangerous Animals (directed by Sean Byrne) on the horizon. Wirkola’s shark film is particularly exciting for horror fans, as his films are notorious for packing a bloody punch and plenty of heart-stopping action.
