Netflix Swoops On Liam Neeson Action Pic ‘The Ice Road’ In Record $18M EFM Domestic Deal:

EXCLUSIVE: Netflix has won U.S. rights to Liam Neeson-Laurence Fishburne action-thriller The Ice Road in what is a record domestic-only deal out of the EFM, we can reveal.

The streamer stumped up $18M for the movie off a promo, we understand, in a deal that was closed over the weekend as the virtual EFM action got underway. There were multiple buyers in the hunt, we hear.

In The Ice Road, after a remote diamond mine collapses in the far northern regions of Canada, an ice driver (Neeson) leads an impossible rescue mission over a frozen ocean to save the lives of trapped miners despite thawing waters and a threat they never see coming.

It’s quite the logline. Perfect for Neeson’s ‘very particular set of skills’.

Pic is written and directed by Die Hard With A Vengeance and Armageddon scribe Jonathan Hensleigh. CODE Entertainment produced and financed alongside ShivHans Pictures. Envision Media Arts also produced.

CAA Media finance brokered the deal with Netflix. The Solution handled foreign sales and has sold the movie well around the world, where the irrepressible Neeson remains a solid box office bet.

Despite frustration from some buyers leading into the EFM, there is a wide variety of projects on sale and this deal marks a lively start to a week of virtual deal-making.

View this article at Deadline.