Melissa Barrera (Scream, Abigail, Your Monster) has joined the cast of Black Tides, the upcoming orca-attack survival thriller from director Renny Harlin (Deep Blue Sea, The Strangers: Chapter 1 and Chapter 2)
Per Deadline, who reported the news exclusively earlier today, Barrera joins previously-announced lead John Travolta, as well as Travolta's daughter Ella Bleu Travolta (The Poison Rose), Álvaro Mel (A Perfect Story) and Dylan Torrell (Islands).
Written by Chris Sparling (Buried) and Ángel Agudo (Prime Video’s Apocalypse Z), Black Tides 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.
Here's what Harlin, also has another aquatic thriller Deep Water en route, has to say of Barrera:
“Melissa brings both fire and vulnerability to a role that demands it all—emotionally, physically, and cinematically […] She and John are movie magic together, and they elevate every beat of this story.”
Producer Adrián Guerra, who produces alongside Nuria Valls for Nostromo Pictures (Buried, Bird Box Barcelona), adds more on Black Tides‘ shooting, which is currently taking place in Gran Canaria, Spain, with the team going “old-school, with in-camera effects and real water work”:
“Shooting at sea is one of the hardest things you can do in film but the footage we’re getting is stunning […] The cast has bonded in a way that’s rare and powerful, and Renny’s directing chops are on full display—balancing raw spectacle with real human emotion.
Black Tides will join the recent wave (heh) of animal attack pics, including Johannes Roberts' Primate, the upcoming Anaconda reboot starring Jack Black and Paul Rudd, Netflix's Cujo remake, Morihito Inoue’s horror-comedy Hot Spring Shark Attack, not to mention this year's Dangerous Animals and the Justin Long-starring Coyotes. Viva la animal attack renaissance, and look out for more on Black Tides as updates swim in.
