Samuel L. Jackson and Dave Bautista Heat Up the Screen in New Look at Sci-Fi Action ‘Afterburn’
Samuel L. Jackson and Dave Bautista are leading the cast of the new sci-fi action movie Afterburn, which will release in select U.S. theaters on September 19th.
The film, directed by J. J. Perry and written by Matt Johnson and Nimród Antal, is set in a world ten years after a solar flare wiped out most of Earth’s technology. Fans are also getting a look at new posters that show the film’s intense post-apocalyptic style.
In the movie, Bautista plays Jake, an ex-soldier turned treasure hunter who searches for pre-flare artifacts for powerful clients, including famous items like the Mona Lisa.
Samuel L. Jackson plays Valentine, a freedom fighter, and Olga Kurylenko also stars as Drea, another freedom fighter. Kristofer Hivju completes the main cast.
Afterburn is based on a comic series from Red 5 Comics by Scott Chitwood, Paul Ens, and Wayne Nichols. The project has been in development since 2018 but experienced several pauses and changes in cast and crew before restarting in 2024 with Bautista and Jackson on board.
Exclusive first trailer for ‘AFTERBURN’, a new action thriller starring Dave Bautista, Olga Kurylenko and Samuel L. Jackson
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 2, 2025
The film follows a treasure hunter who ventures to Europe to uncover the Mona Lisa after a solar flare destroyed the Earth's eastern hemisphere pic.twitter.com/tqXliCu4lb
Filming took place in Bratislava, Slovakia, starting May 10, 2024, and wrapped on June 27. José David Montero was the cinematographer, and Luke Dunkley handled editing. Roque Baños composed the score for the movie.
The film’s production history includes earlier involvement from Gerard Butler and other producers, but with changes over the years, Dogbone Entertainment joined along with Original Film and Endurance Media to complete the project.
In May 2025, a legal dispute over financing was resolved when Fourth Chance Productions was awarded $7.7 million after a backer was found to have defrauded the company. Despite these setbacks, the film successfully made it to theaters and is now available for audiences.
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