River Wild has made some unexpected waves since it landed on Netflix in the US as fans have been left asking if the chilling thriller is based on a true story.
The film, which shares its title with 1994’s The River Wild, landed on Netflix on August 1 as part of a direct-to-home video release, quickly becoming one of the most-watched movies on the streaming service.
River Wild plot preview
Starring Leighton Meester, Taran Killam and Adam Brody, 2023’s River Wild tells the story of estranged siblings Gary and Joey Reese who embark on a whitewater rafting trip with a pair of tourists.
However, the fun-filled trip immediately takes on a more tense undertone when Trevor, their childhood friend with a troubled past, joins the group.
When the gang gets stranded in the raging rapids, the journey quickly turns from an exciting thrill ride into a nightmare as it becomes apparent that someone within the group is intent on sabotaging them.
If Joey has any hopes of getting out of the increasingly perilous situation alive, she must summon every ounce of determination she has to avoid being torn apart by the deception aboard the raft or by the deadly waters that provide the only way to safety.
Is River Wild based on a true story?
No, River Wild and its tale of murdered tourists is thankfully not based on a true story.
Instead, it is inspired by the 1994 film titled The River Wild – which itself is also a fictional tale.
The original film, which starred Meryl Streep, David Strathairn and Kevin Bacon, has a rather unusual source of inspiration.
According to The Washington Post, The River Wild’s screenwriter Denis O’Neill based the film on an article he wrote on fly-fish for a magazine called Fly, Rod & Wheel.
How exactly a magazine article on fly-fishing inspired a seemingly unrelated thriller based around whitewater rafting remains unclear to this day.
How are the two films related?
The new River Wild is described as a reimagining of the original 1994 film rather than a remake or a reboot.
When announcing the film, Glenn Ross, the General Manager and Executive Vice President of Universal’s home-release division described the 2023 version to Deadline as “a thrilling new The River Wild story” that “brings the universe to new audiences and fans of the original.”
Essentially, this means that River Wild serves as a standalone sequel to 1994’s The River Wild, focusing on a new batch of characters who are dragged into another whitewater rafting trip from hell.
Beyond losing the “The” from its title, 2023’s River Wild features several differences from the original.
The most notable is the fact that the original’s central pairing of Gail and Tom Hartman are a husband-and-wife duo while Joey and Gary are siblings in the new film.
River Wild is available to stream on Netflix in the US.
The post River Wild is a 'reimagining' of a cult classic 1994 film appeared first on HITC.
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