Netflix has made another big purchase at the European Film Market along with Christian Bale’s The Pale Blue Eye and Colin Firth’s Operation Mincemeat. The third film the streamer acquired is The Ice Road, starring Liam Neeson. The film that Netflix bought for $18M will be distributed by Netflix in the US (other regions’ availability not yet known).
The Ice Road was written and directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, writer of Die Hard With a Vengeance, Jumanji and Armageddon. Hensleigh also wrote and directed 2004 action movie The Punisher that starred Thomas Jane. The Ice Road is produced by Aperture Media (The Trial of Chicago 7, Atomic Blonde), Envision Media Arts (Mr. Church, Death of Me) and Code Entertainment (Kill the Irishman, Drowning Mona).
What is the plot of The Ice Road?
Not much is known about the plot of The Ice Road, but here is the film’s logline.
After a remote diamond mine collapses in the far northern regions of Canada, an expert driver leads an impossible rescue mission over a frozen ocean to save the lives of trapped miners. The mission escalates into chaos due to the thawing waters and a threat the rescuers never saw coming.
Producer Bart Rosenblatt said:
“The only way to get the equipment up to save the miners is to take it on the ice roads with three 18-wheelers.”
Who is cast in The Ice Road?
The Ice Road will be led by Oscar and Golden Globes nominee Liam Neeson, who is known for many of his iconic roles, including Taken in which he has a particular set of skills. Neeson will be playing Mike, the expert driver who leads an impossible rescue mission over a frozen ocean to save the lives of trapped miners. Neeson has since stated that he would be retiring from action films, so The Ice Road might be either his last or second to last with him focusing on other genres of cinema.
We already have a first look at Liam Neeson as Mike in The Ice Road seen in the header of this article.
Neeson will be joined by Lawrence Fishburne (John Wick, Matrix), Holt McCallany (Mindhunter, Blue Bloods), Amber Midthuner (Legion, Roswell, New Mexico) and Matt McCoy (Jack Ryan, Silicon Valley) as Goldenrod, Rene Lampard, Tantoo and George Sickle respectively.
What is the production status on The Ice Road?
The Ice Road had a smooth and a fairly short production in Canada’s Winnipeg, Ile-des-Chenes and Gimli. Production lasted from January to March 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world. The cold Canadian weather played right into film’s hand making it even more realistic and natural. The ice itself had to be created by the crew and they commented:
“We laid water down, and then actually even though it looks like it’s just ice, it’s all been painted with ice paint. I know that Liam Neeson and Laurence Fishburne all thought, and all of us thought it was really otherworldly being out on the ice.
When will The Ice Road be released on Netflix?
According to Deadline, the release of The Ice Road in the UK is slated for the third quarter of 2021 (July – September). We are sure this will be the same for the US and Netflix as well.
