Charlize Theron & Apex Director Reunite for Six Clean Kills

Charlize Theron and director Baltasar Kormákur are wasting no time. Less than two weeks after their Netflix survival thriller Apex became a genuine streaming phenomenon, the pair are already locked in for their next collaboration. Deadline broke the news that the two are teaming up on Six Clean Kills, a new action thriller set up at Universal Pictures, with Theron producing and eyeing the lead role and Kormákur directing and producing.

The film is based on an unpublished novel by Stan Parish — yes, unpublished, meaning plot details are being kept tightly under wraps for both the book and the adaptation. Parish is on board to write the screenplay himself, and will also executive produce. What we do know is the title alone sounds like it means business.

How Apex Made This Happen

The chemistry between Theron and Kormákur clearly didn’t end when cameras stopped rolling on Apex. According to sources, the two had been discussing what to do next even during production, and Six Clean Kills emerged as the obvious answer. Theron had actually been loosely attached to the project for some time before the Apex shoot helped seal the deal.

It’s easy to see why they wanted to move fast. Apex, which premiered on Netflix on April 24, debuted at No. 1 on the streamer’s global English film list — and then did something even more impressive: it grew in its second week, pulling in 40.8 million viewers and holding the top spot on the Netflix Top 10 for two straight weeks. For a survival thriller about a rock climber and kayaker being hunted through the wilds of Australia, that’s a serious number.

Taron Egerton co-starred as the menacing local ranger hunting Theron’s character, and the pairing drew strong reviews alongside those viewership figures. When something works that well, you don’t wait around.

Who’s Behind the New Film

Theron will produce through her Secret Menu production company via her first-look deal with Universal Pictures, alongside producers AJ Dix and Beth Kono. Kormákur produces through his Blueeyes Productions banner. Universal’s Senior Vice President of Production Development Ryan Jones and Director of Production Development Christine Sun will oversee the project for the studio.

Theron is no stranger to Universal — she’s appeared in three of the studio’s Fast and Furious films, so the relationship runs deep. For Kormákur, it’s also familiar territory. The Icelandic filmmaker previously worked with Universal on Beast, the survival drama starring Idris Elba, and has built a career out of stories set against punishing landscapes — from Everest to Jar City to 101 Reykjavík. His instinct for physical, high-stakes storytelling is exactly what made Apex click, and it sounds like the right fit for whatever Six Clean Kills turns out to be.

Both leads have full plates in the meantime. Theron is currently in production on Tyrant, an Amazon MGM Studios thriller, while Kormákur is shooting The Big Fix for Netflix, starring Mark Wahlberg and Riz Ahmed. Six Clean Kills remains in development for now — but given what Apex just did for both of their careers, don’t expect this one to sit on the shelf for long.

Theron’s next big release on the horizon is Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, which should keep her squarely in the cultural conversation between now and whenever Six Clean Kills gets rolling. But right now, it’s hard to argue with the logic of an action star and a director who just had a massive hit deciding the best move is to do it all over again.