‘Afterburn’ Trailer Released, Starring Dave Bautista and Samuel L. Jackson on a Dangerous Treasure Hunt

The new sci-fi action movie Afterburn is coming soon, and it’s set in a tough, post-apocalyptic world. Directed by J. J. Perry and written by Matt Johnson and Nimród Antal, the film is based on the Red 5 Comics series by Scott Chitwood, Paul Ens, and Wayne Nichols. The story happens ten years after a huge solar flare wiped out most of Earth’s technology.

The movie centers on Jake, played by Dave Bautista. Jake used to be a soldier, but now he hunts for rare and valuable items from before the disaster, including famous treasures like the Mona Lisa.

Alongside him, Samuel L. Jackson plays Valentine, a freedom fighter, and Olga Kurylenko appears as another freedom fighter named Drea. Kristofer Hivju also joins the cast.

The trailer just dropped, and it’s packed with action. The characters don’t hold back in this dangerous new world, making for some intense scenes.

Afterburn has had a long road. Back in 2012, it was announced that Tommy Wirkola would direct and Gerard Butler would star, but plans changed over the years. By 2018, Jung Byung-gil was set to direct, with the script written by Johnson and Antal, plus some revisions by William N. “Bill” Collage.

However, Byung-gil left the project in early 2024. That’s when J. J. Perry took over directing, and Dave Bautista and Samuel L. Jackson came on board as the lead actors.

At first, Original Film, G-BASE, and Endurance Media were set to produce the movie, with Endurance Media providing the funding. But after Gerard Butler left and Bautista joined, G-BASE dropped out. Dogbone Entertainment stepped in to fill the gap while Original Film and Endurance Media stayed involved.

Filming started on May 10, 2024, in Bratislava, Slovakia, and wrapped up on June 27. José David Montero was the cinematographer, and Luke Dunkley handled editing.

There was some drama during post-production. In May 2025, Fourth Chance Productions won a $7.7 million arbitration case after discovering that one of the movie’s backers, Tristian Peter, had committed fraud. Peter had promised $7.5 million in funding in exchange for an executive producer credit but never delivered.

Now that the trailer is out, fans finally get a glimpse of what Afterburn will bring, a thrilling story set in a harsh world where people fight for lost treasures and survival.

This information comes from official production updates and news reports about the film’s progress.

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