Sharks, Hurricanes, and Horror: Tommy Wirkola’s Thrilling Disaster Movie

Tommy Wirkola’s Thrash arrives on Netflix on April 10, 2026, delivering a survival thriller that blends the chaos of a Category 5 hurricane with the terror of hungry sharks. The film is being positioned as a successful execution of the disaster genre, combining high-concept scares with a sense of fun.

The plot centers on a South Carolina coastal town decimated by a catastrophic storm. As the storm surge brings devastation and chaos, the rising waters bring a shiver of bull sharks into the town, including down Main Street, leaving residents trapped in an aquatic nightmare.

Cast and Character Dynamics

The ensemble cast is led by Phoebe Dynevor, who portrays Lisa Fields, a pregnant woman trapped in a car amidst the hurricane, fighting to escape both the raging waves and the sharks they carry with them.

Whitney Peak stars as Dakota Edwards, the agoraphobic niece of Dale Edwards. Her character initially dismisses the threat of the approaching Category 5 hurricane before realizing the severity of the situation.

Djimon Hounsou plays Dale Edwards, a marine researcher who attempts to assist residents trapped in the town after they have been cut off from rescue efforts.

The film also follows a trio of foster siblings—Dee, Ron and Will Olsen—played by Alyla Browne, Stacy Clausen, and Dante Ubaldi, respectively. The siblings struggle to survive inside their own home as sharks invade and terrorize them.

Production and Creative Vision

Written and directed by Tommy Wirkola, Thrash is produced by Adam McKay and Kevin Messick through Hyperobject Industries, with Sony Pictures also involved in production.

The project was first announced in May 2024 under the working title Beneath the Storm. Principal photography began in July 2024 in Melbourne, Australia.

Adam McKay has noted that the premise of the film, while initially feeling far-fetched, has become more grounded in reality due to accelerated global warming. McKay cited historic, climate-fueled floods in Australia where bull sharks, which hunt in dirty water, were responsible for four attacks within a 48-hour period.

McKay described Wirkola as having an anarchic, heavy metal kind of edge and a preference for fun, over-the-top, rock-’em, sock-’em movies, making him a natural fit for the crafty filmmaking required for this survival thriller.

Technical Credits

• Cinematography: Matt Weston
• Editing: Martin Stoltz
• Music: Dominic Lewis and Daniel Futcher
• Distribution: Netflix

The film’s approach to the disaster genre has been highlighted for its ability to provide actual scares and a surprising amount of fun, avoiding the pitfalls of similar high-concept survival movies.