Apex: Charlize Theron is in final talks to star in a rock climber survival story with Baltasar Kormákur eyed to direct

Charlize Theron is a one-woman wrecking crew when it comes to conquering challenges on the silver screen, and soon she could face one of her most formidable foes ever in Apex, a high-profile thriller destined to scale the Netflix charts. Theron is in final negotiations to lead Apex, a genre thriller, with Baltasar Kormákur negotiating to direct from a script by Jeremy Robbins. Plot details are scarce, though Deadline says Apex is like Free Solo meets Silence of the Lambs, with the story following a rock climber who finds herself getting hunted in the wild. The title is a play on an apex being the top or highest part of something (like a cliff) and a particularly dangerous predator in the wild. The more you know!

In addition to her starring role, Theron will executive produce Apex alongside Dawn Olmstead, Beth Kono, and AJ Dix through their newly minted media outlet. Kormákur will produce for RVK productions, and Ian Bryce and Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and David Ready will produce through Chernin Entertainment.

In a rare instance, Netflix purchased Apex after getting blown away by the script. The project had only producers then, making it a rare acquisition. Theron and Kormakur were the platform’s first picks for a lead actor and director. Thankfully, both were highly interested in Apex after loving the original story.

Theron recently offered an update about her long-gestating Netflix sequel to 2020’s The Old Guard. The Old Guard 2 went into production in 2022, and filming had to be halted briefly after a fire broke out at the film studio where the movie was shooting: Rome, Italy’s historic Cinecittà Studios. Then there was a shake-up at Netflix during post-production, so the project got shut down for a while – but Theron has told Variety that The Old Guard 2 is now back on track and coming soon.

Theron said, “Netflix went through quite a changeover. We got kind of stuck in that and our post-production shut down, I think, five weeks into it. They were going through a lot of changes, and I totally understand it. We finally picked it back up and I’m really excited about it. It’s really good. It’s a really important film to us. I only wanted to do it if we could make it amazing. I really love this movie.” She told Variety it will be released “soon.”

Based on a graphic novel series created by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández, The Old Guard was scripted by Rucka and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. The film introduced viewers to a covert group of tight-knit mercenaries with a mysterious inability to die who have fought to protect the mortal world for centuries. When the team is recruited to take on an emergency mission and their extraordinary abilities are suddenly exposed, it’s up to Andy and Nile, the newest soldier to join their ranks, to help the group eliminate the threat of those who seek to replicate and monetize their power by any means necessary.

Are you interested in learning more about Apex? What do you think could be hunting Theron’s character as she explores a cliffside? Let’s see your suggestions in the comments section below.