‘Afterburn’ Trailer Drops, Featuring Dave Bautista and Samuel L. Jackson Hunting for “Mona” in Post-Apocalyptic Action

Afterburn is an upcoming American sci-fi action movie set in a post-apocalyptic world. It’s directed by J. J. Perry and written by Matt Johnson and Nimród Antal.

The story comes from the Red 5 Comics series created by Scott Chitwood, Paul Ens, and Wayne Nichols. The movie takes place ten years after a massive solar flare destroyed much of Earth’s technology.

The film follows Jake, played by Dave Bautista. Jake is an ex-soldier who now works as a treasure hunter. He searches for valuable items that existed before the solar flare, including famous pieces like the Mona Lisa.

Samuel L. Jackson stars as Valentine, a freedom fighter, and Olga Kurylenko also plays a freedom fighter named Drea. Kristofer Hivju is part of the cast as well.

Now the trailer for the movie has been released, and it features lots of action. Boy, no one really holds back in this messed-up new world.

The project’s history goes back to 2012 when it was first announced that Tommy Wirkola would direct and Gerard Butler would star. But things changed over the years. In 2018, Jung Byung-gil was set to direct the film, with the script by Johnson and Antal and revisions by William N. “Bill” Collage.

However, Byung-gil left the project in early 2024. Then J. J. Perry came on as the new director, and Bautista and Jackson joined as the main stars.

Originally, the movie was going to be produced by Original Film, G-BASE, and Endurance Media, with financing from Endurance Media.

But after Gerard Butler left and Dave Bautista joined, G-BASE pulled out. Dogbone Entertainment took their place, while Original Film and Endurance Media stayed involved.

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

There was some drama during post-production. In May 2025, an arbitration ruled that Fourth Chance Productions was owed $7.7 million due to fraud linked to the movie’s financing. A backer named Tristian Peter was found to have defrauded the company by failing to provide $7.5 million he promised in exchange for an executive producer credit.

Now, fans finally have something to get excited about—the trailer for Afterburn has been released, giving a first look at the world after the solar flare and the dangerous hunt for lost treasures.

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