Adam Green’s survival thriller Ascent starts filming in Malta this month and the lead cast has been assembled
![Inanna Sarkis](https://www.joblo.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/inanna-sarkis-1024x538.jpg)
Adam Green is best known for directing three of the four films that make up the Hatchet slasher franchise, but many fans feel that his best movie is actually the 2010 survival thriller Frozen. And while we’re anxiously waiting to hear when Hatchet 5 is going to go into production, it was welcome news when it was announced last week that Green is taking a step back into Frozen territory to helm a survival thriller called Ascent. Now, Deadline reports that the film’s cast includes Inanna Sarkis (Marked Men), Gregg Sulkin (Six Triple Eight), Timothy Granaderos (13 Reasons Why), and Paris Berelc (Alexa & Katie).
When the project was first announced, it was under the title The Ascent, but it seems the “The” has been dropped. The first announcement also referred to the film as a shark thriller, providing the following synopsis: A group of friends arrive in Europe for a glamorous but daring destination wedding. The fun and games turn into a nightmare when they find themselves precariously suspended above shark infested waters and in a battle for survival. Deadline got their hands on a different synopsis that removes the reference to sharks and instead focuses on the fact that the characters are stuck on a hot air balloon: a group of friends attending a destination wedding in Europe find themselves stranded on a hot air balloon 3,000 feet above the ground.
Green provided the following statement: “I’m incredibly excited to be returning to the survival thriller genre. Ascent’s story about a recreational activity gone terribly wrong is going to play with people’s real life fears and be a total thrill ride for the audience.“
The film is being produced by Simple House Films. The company’s Volodymyr Artemenko said, “The film is a high intensity thriller, set entirely in real time. The gripping and anxiety ridden experience will be captured for the screen by a talented and creative team.“
Filming is set to begin in Malta later this month?
Does Ascent sound interesting to you? What do you think of the cast that Adam Green has assembled? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Inanna Sarkis, Gregg Sulkin, Timothy Granaderos & Paris Berelc Sign For Adam Green’s Hot Air Balloon Thriller ‘Ascent’ Ahead Of Malta Shoot – EFM https://t.co/R93QWrEPwL
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) February 13, 2025
About the Author
Cody is a news editor and film critic, focused on the horror arm of JoBlo.com, and writes scripts for videos that are released through the JoBlo Originals and JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channels. In his spare time, he’s a globe-trotting digital nomad, runs a personal blog called Life Between Frames, and writes novels and screenplays.