Cliffhanger is a 1993 American action thriller film[2] directed and co-produced by Renny Harlin and co-written by and starring Sylvester Stallone alongside John Lithgow, Michael Rooker and Janine Turner.

Sarah's harness breaks loose and she falls to her death, and Hal blames a guilt-stricken Gabe, who leaves the ranger service.

One of the wounded agents shoots at the thieves before the DC-9 is blown up, forcing the JetStar to crash land in the Rockies and scattering the cases across the mountainside.

Hal remains bitter over Sarah's death, and responds to a fake distress call from the mercenaries, while Jessie convinces Gabe to help.

Heldon opens fire and is killed by the ensuing avalanche, which leads Qualen to believe the case is lost and Gabe is dead.

They recover mountaineering gear and reach the second case before Qualen arrives at nightfall, burning the money to stay warm and leaving him a taunting message, "Want to trade?"

Jessie signals to the rescue helicopter, believing it to be Frank, and is taken hostage by Qualen, who demands that Gabe and Hal surrender the money.

The first one was the futuristic science-fiction horror film Isobar, which was about a genetically-created monster who breaks free on a high-speed runaway train: between 1987, when Carolco first bought the original script by Jim Uhls for $400,000, and 1991, directors Ridley Scott and Roland Emmerich were each at different points in time attached to direct the film which would have had a $90 million budget with Stallone and Kim Basinger playing the main roles; however, due to disagreements between them and Carolco and producer Joel Silver about the script changes and lack of artistic freedom, both Scott and Emmerich gave up on the project, which in the end was cancelled.

[4][5][6] The second Carolco project in which Stallone was involved was an action disaster thriller entitled Gale Force, described as "Die Hard in a hurricane", which Renny Harlin was going to direct, and in which Stallone would play an ex-Navy SEAL who has to fight against a group of modern pirates who attack a coastal town during a large, catastrophic hurricane.

Harlin was paid $3 million for directing the film, but because his contract also gave him full control of the project, he demanded many re-writes of the script to, amongst other things, increase the number of action sequences and make them bigger.

[14] Before production began, Stallone rewrote Michael France's script: his work changed the film significantly enough that Carolco petitioned the Writers Guild of America for him to get credit.

[15] Half of the film's budget was provided by TriStar Pictures in exchange for distribution rights in North America, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and France.

[16] Seed funding was provided by Carolco shareholders Rizzoli-Corriere della Sera, Le Studio Canal+, and Pioneer Electric Corporation.

[17] The credit of US$46,553,000 was, at the time, one of the largest project loan facilities ever to be made for the production of an independent film, and was fully repaid from the movie’s distribution proceeds.

Stuntman Simon Crane was paid $1 million to perform the aerial transfer scene, where he crossed between two planes at an altitude of 15,000 feet (4,600 m).

Chief victim was the scene in which Delmar beats up Tucker, but other cuts included aggressive strong language and other moments of violence.

[36] Cliffhanger grossed $20.5 million during its opening weekend, ranking in first place at the box office ahead of Sliver, Super Mario Bros., Made in America and Dave.

The website's critical consensus reads, "While it can't escape comparisons to the movies it borrows from, Cliffhanger is a tense, action-packed thriller and a showcase for the talents that made Sylvester Stallone a star.

[50][51][52] Michael Benge of Climbing magazine was critical of the film's unrealistic portrayal of mountaineering, including the fictional gun which fires pitons directly into rock.

[55] In 1994, TriStar announced plans to develop a sequel titled Cliffhanger 2: The Dam, with Stallone reprising his starring role.

Moritz stated that his intent is to adapt the story in a similar manner comparable to J.J. Abrams' work on Star Trek.

Jason Momoa was in early negotiations to feature in a prominent cameo role; while Mortiz brought on Toby Jaffe, Thorsten Schumacher, and Lars Sylvest as additional producers.

The plot will detail the continued adventures of climber-turned-rescue ranger Gabriel "Gabe" Walker alongside a supporting cast, and include the Italian Alps.

Waugh expressed excitement for the challenge of working with Stallone, stating: "Growing up with the biggest action films of the '80s and '90s, ...Cliffhanger was by far one of my favorite spectacles.

[64] In October 2024, it was reported that a creative overhaul turned the proposed Cliffhanger sequel into a reboot, with Stallone no longer involved with the project.

Lily James was cast in the lead role, alongside Pierce Brosnan, Nell Tiger Free, Franz Rogowski, Shubham Saraf, Assaad Bouab, Suzy Bemba, and Bruno Gouery.