Work on the new version of the film Climber has been abruptly put on hold. Variety, citing World of Reel, reports the cause as a serious financial crisis at the distributor Row K Entertainment (Row K Ent.).
According to those reports, Row K Ent. failed to meet obligations to partners and suppliers — missed payments, broken contracts — and that shortfall triggered a freeze on production plus threats of legal action. The picture, in other words, is sitting idle while creditors and vendors press their claims.
Complicating matters further: the deal to acquire rights from Creative Artists Agency (CAA) remains unfinished. That leaves the door open for another investor to step in and assume the project, should one surface.
The film had been slated to premiere on August 28, 2026, with a wide rollout in more than 3,000 U.S. theaters; those plans are now postponed indefinitely. No new date has been announced.
For context, Climber was developed as a tense survival thriller about a father and daughter — marketed in the vein of Die Hard. Lily James and Pierce Brosnan were cast in the leads. Sylvester Stallone was once attached but exited in 2024 over creative differences.