Yes, They're Making a Crimson Tide Sequel in 2025
Because nothing in Hollywood can stay sunk forever, Crimson Tide — the 1995 nuclear submarine thriller — is officially getting a sequel.
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed it during a recent interview with The Rich Eisen Show, and yes, Denzel Washington is being courted to return.
"We have a really good director-writer talking to the Navy right now about what's going on under the water," Bruckheimer said. "We have Denzel. If we give him a good script, I think he'd do it."
In other words: no script, no title, no official director, but sure — let's announce a sequel anyway.
Disney had no comment on the project, which makes sense, since the original Crimson Tide was a Touchstone Pictures release — the now-defunct "adult division" Disney used to bury its R-rated content without scaring the kids.
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For those who don't remember, the original was directed by Tony Scott, written (in part) by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Towne, and featured Denzel Washington clashing with Gene Hackman over the launch codes during a Russian standoff. It also had a Hans Zimmer score and a submarine full of testosterone.
And apparently, Hollywood has decided that's enough to justify a 30-years-later follow-up.
Here's how the original performed back in 1995:
- Opened at number one in its first wide weekend
- Domestic box office: $91.3 million
- Worldwide total: Over $157 million
- Budget: Reportedly around $53 million
- Oscar nominations: 3 (Sound, Editing, Sound Effects Editing)
The odds of replicating that? Not great. As Bruckheimer himself admitted:
"We had Quentin Tarantino and Robert Towne writing on that film. I don't know if I'll ever replicate that type of writing on a film."
But nostalgia sells — especially when you can slap a respected name like Denzel on the poster and let people pretend Hollywood still makes adult thrillers. Whether this actually materializes or not depends entirely on whether Washington sees a script that's worth coming back for. Don't hold your breath.
Oh, and while we're on Bruckheimer sequels nobody asked for:
- Top Gun 3 is "in process"
- Tom Cruise reportedly wants another Days of Thunder
- Robert Duvall might even be back for that one
Because if there's one thing the industry loves more than a good story, it's a familiar IP with just enough oxygen left to drag through another press tour.