Trailer for ‘Day Drinker,’ a Mysterious Nautical Revenge Thriller Starring Johnny Depp, Madelyn Cline and Penélope Cruz, Out

Lionsgate has released the first full trailer for “Day Drinker,” a moody, nautical revenge thriller that marks Johnny Depp’s latest step in his ongoing Hollywood comeback, reuniting him with Penélope Cruz and pairing both with “Outer Banks” breakout Madelyn Cline. The film sails into theatres on March 26, 2027.

The Plot

The official logline follows a private-yacht bartender, played by Madelyn Cline, who encounters a mysterious onboard guest played by Johnny Depp. The pair soon find themselves entangled with a menacing criminal figure, portrayed by Penélope Cruz, connected in ways none of them could have anticipated. The trailer leans heavily into ambiguity about genre — mixing gun and axe-driven combat, hints of the supernatural, and an image of a woman drifting into the sea that appears to establish a motive rooted in revenge. Depp’s character, sporting grey hair, a scraggly beard, and an unplaceable accent, muses cryptically on his own story, wondering aloud whether it’s a tale of revenge, something worse, a ghost story, or simply the story of “another day drinker.”

The Cast and Reunions

For Depp and Cruz, “Day Drinker” marks their first collaboration since 2011’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” while also representing a return to major studio filmmaking for both actors after recent stretches focused on independent productions — Cruz having spent 2026 headlining well-reviewed indie titles like “La Bola Negra,” “The Invite,” and “Bunker.” For Madelyn Cline, the film marks her first major project since wrapping “Outer Banks,” the Netflix series that made her a star across its five-season run, which concluded this past August.

Behind the Scenes

Marc Webb directs from a script by Zach Dean, whose credits include “The Tomorrow War” and “Fast X.” The producing team includes Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee, both known for producing the “John Wick” franchise for Lionsgate, alongside Adam Kolbrenner and Nathan Kahane. Filming took place in Spain in 2025, with Lionsgate shifting the release to its current March 2027 date as part of a broader calendar reshuffle earlier this year.

Part of a Bigger Comeback Arc

“Day Drinker” is among the first Hollywood studio-backed films to feature Depp prominently since his highly publicized 2022 defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard, following a period largely spent on smaller international and independent projects. He also has Paramount’s “Ebenezer” arriving in theatres on November 13, positioning this as part of a broader, deliberate return to mainstream studio filmmaking.

Why It Matters

With a starry, genre-blending premise, a director known for tonal versatility, and a producing team with proven action-thriller credentials, “Day Drinker” is positioned as one of the more closely watched star vehicles heading into 2027 — as much for its enigmatic marketing as for what it represents in Depp’s ongoing return to major studio productions.

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