Josh Brolin & Jeremy Renner Reunite For Their Fourth Movie Together

The two actors’ last collaboration was in Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, in which Brolin plays Monsignor Jefferson Wicks and Renner plays congregant Nat Sharp. Prior to that, they were in two Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Age of Ultron, with Brolin as Thanos and Renner as Hawkeye/Clint Barton, although the villain only appeared in Age of Ultron‘s post-credits scene.

Deadline now reports that Brolin and Renner have been cast in A Speck in the Sea, a survival thriller directed by Orlando von Einsiedel. The film is based on the true story of Montauk lobster fisherman Johnny Aldrige (Brolin), who in 2013 fell off his fishing boat and into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean during the middle of the night.

Johnny’s best friend and fishing partner, Anthony Sosinski (Renner), is asleep below deck when this happens, and sparks a multi-state rescue operation after waking to discover that his friend is missing, all while Johnny fights to stay alive in the ocean waters.

A Speck in the Sea‘s script was written by Jeff Pope, who previously received a Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award nomination for Philomena. Legendary’s 193 is representing the movie for international sales at the American Film Market, Emmy nominee Mark Bauch is producing for One Day’s Walk, and two-time Emmy nominee Jonathan Eirich is producing for Rideback.

193 CEO Patrick Wachsberger shared that “A Speck in the Sea brings together an exceptional cast and creative team to tell a wild true story of survival, friendship, and the human will to endure. The film has all the elements of a gripping, moving cinematic experience, and we look forward to making it available at the upcoming AFM.” Bauch and Eirich also released statements about the project and collaborating with the real-life Johnny and Anthony. Check out the producers’ comments below:

Mark Bauch: From the moment I first read Jeff Pope’s thrilling and heartfelt script, I knew Orlando was the perfect filmmaker to bring Johnny and Anthony’s extraordinary story to life. Having spent time on the water and shared a lot of laughs (and lobster!) with Johnny and Anthony, our connection to their story has only deepened and we’re so grateful for the trust they’ve placed in us. Josh and Jeremy bring the grit, humanity and humor these roles demand, and we couldn’t ask for better partners than Jonathan Eirich at Rideback and Patrick, Ashley and the entire team at 193.

Jonathan Eirich: John and Anthony’s story is one of the most remarkable true accounts of survival and perseverance we’ve ever encountered, and with Orlando, Jeff, Josh, and Jeremy on board, we have the ideal team to bring it to the screen. We’re thrilled to partner with our longtime colleague Mark Bauch as well as Patrick and the 193 team to share this unforgettable story with audiences around the world.

Mark Bauch: From the moment I first read Jeff Pope’s thrilling and heartfelt script, I knew Orlando was the perfect filmmaker to bring Johnny and Anthony’s extraordinary story to life. Having spent time on the water and shared a lot of laughs (and lobster!) with Johnny and Anthony, our connection to their story has only deepened and we’re so grateful for the trust they’ve placed in us. Josh and Jeremy bring the grit, humanity and humor these roles demand, and we couldn’t ask for better partners than Jonathan Eirich at Rideback and Patrick, Ashley and the entire team at 193.

Jonathan Eirich: John and Anthony’s story is one of the most remarkable true accounts of survival and perseverance we’ve ever encountered, and with Orlando, Jeff, Josh, and Jeremy on board, we have the ideal team to bring it to the screen. We’re thrilled to partner with our longtime colleague Mark Bauch as well as Patrick and the 193 team to share this unforgettable story with audiences around the world.

Brolin is coming off another survival thriller, Whalefall, which was released in theaters on October 16. Based on the novel by Daniel Kraus, it tells the story of Jay Gardner (Austin Abrams) pursuing the remains of his father, Mitt Gardiner (Brolin), only to find himself swallowed alive by a sperm whale. With a 74% critics’ score and 80% audience score, the movie had a mostly positive reception.

Along with Wake Up Dead Man, Renner reprised the role as Mike McLuskey last year in Mayor of Kingstown season 4. Paramount+’s hit crime thriller series is returning for a fifth and final season on January 15, 2027.