# Day Drinker
**Day Drinker** is an upcoming American thriller directed by [Marc Webb](https://www.edgepedia.org/marc-webb) and written by Zach Dean, starring [Johnny Depp](https://www.edgepedia.org/johnny-depp), Madelyn Cline, and [Penélope Cruz](https://www.edgepedia.org/penelope-cruz), scheduled for a nationwide theatrical release by Lionsgate on March 26, 2027.[1](https://www.daydrinker.movie/synopsis/) • [2](https://www.movieinsider.com/m20229/day-drinker/updates) The film follows a private-yacht bartender who encounters a mysterious onboard guest; the two become entangled with a criminal figure and connected in unexpected ways.[1](https://www.daydrinker.movie/synopsis/) It is Depp's first major commercial Hollywood project since 2020 and reunites him with Cruz for the fourth time.[3](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/04/14/johnny-depp-regresa-a-hollywood-con-day-drinker-un-thriller-grabado-en-espana-y-coprotagonizado-por-penelope-cruz-cadena-ser/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer | Marc Webb; screenplay by Zach Dean[1](https://www.daydrinker.movie/synopsis/) |
| Starring | Johnny Depp, Madelyn Cline, and Penélope Cruz[1](https://www.daydrinker.movie/synopsis/) |
| Release date | March 26, 2027, nationwide theatrical release in the United States[2](https://www.movieinsider.com/m20229/day-drinker/updates) |
| Distributor | Lionsgate Studios[2](https://www.movieinsider.com/m20229/day-drinker/updates) |
| Producers | Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, Adam Kolbrenner, Zach Dean, and Nathan Kahane[1](https://www.daydrinker.movie/synopsis/) |
| Filming locations | Spain, including Tenerife in the Canary Islands[3](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/04/14/johnny-depp-regresa-a-hollywood-con-day-drinker-un-thriller-grabado-en-espana-y-coprotagonizado-por-penelope-cruz-cadena-ser/) • [4](https://www.lefilmfrancais.com/images/CMN1_1305_DIGITAL_BD.pdf) |
| Depp–Cruz reunion | Fourth on-screen pairing, after Blow, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and Murder on the Orient Express[3](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/04/14/johnny-depp-regresa-a-hollywood-con-day-drinker-un-thriller-grabado-en-espana-y-coprotagonizado-por-penelope-cruz-cadena-ser/) |
## Premise
In the film, Depp plays Kelly, a mysterious passenger aboard a private yacht who forms an unexpected relationship with the ship's bartender, played by Cline. Their lives become entangled with a criminal figure played by Cruz.[3](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/04/14/johnny-depp-regresa-a-hollywood-con-day-drinker-un-thriller-grabado-en-espana-y-coprotagonizado-por-penelope-cruz-cadena-ser/) The official logline states that they "soon find themselves entangled with a criminal figure and connected in ways no one saw coming."[1](https://www.daydrinker.movie/synopsis/) An earlier development-stage synopsis described a bartender who strikes up a conversation with a mysterious passenger who drinks during the day, leading them into "a dark web of crime" and unexpected connections between them.[2](https://www.movieinsider.com/m20229/day-drinker/updates)
The title character's nature has been kept ambiguous. In the teaser released in September 2026, a gray-haired Depp says: "My story? Perhaps it's a tale of revenge. Or perhaps something worse. What if all of this is a ghost story? Or maybe I'm just another day drinker?"[5](https://au.variety.com/2026/film/news/day-drinker-trailer-johnny-depp-madelyn-cline-penelope-cruz-40676/)
## Production and filming
Shooting was under way in Spain by April 2025 across several locations, with the cast including the Spanish actors [Manu Ríos](https://www.edgepedia.org/manu-rios) and Arón Piper, the Argentine actor [Juan Diego Botto](https://www.edgepedia.org/juan-diego-botto), and the British actress Anika Boyle.[3](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/04/14/johnny-depp-regresa-a-hollywood-con-day-drinker-un-thriller-grabado-en-espana-y-coprotagonizado-por-penelope-cruz-cadena-ser/) Tenerife hosted Depp's filming, alongside productions such as [Doctor Who](https://www.edgepedia.org/doctor-who), The Rings of Power, and The Witcher, which have used the island's volcanic landscapes, colonial architecture, and subtropical forests.[4](https://www.lefilmfrancais.com/images/CMN1_1305_DIGITAL_BD.pdf)
The production is a Nostromo Picture/Baby Door production, presented by Lionsgate in association with 30WEST, Thunder Road Films, IN.2, and True North.[1](https://www.daydrinker.movie/synopsis/) The producers are Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, Adam Kolbrenner, Zach Dean, and Nathan Kahane; Iwanyk and Lee also produce the [John Wick](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-wick) franchise for Lionsgate.[1](https://www.daydrinker.movie/synopsis/) • [3](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/04/14/johnny-depp-regresa-a-hollywood-con-day-drinker-un-thriller-grabado-en-espana-y-coprotagonizado-por-penelope-cruz-cadena-ser/) [Cinematography](https://www.edgepedia.org/cinematography) is by the Spanish cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe, whose credits include [The Others](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-others-2001-film), Thor: Ragnarok, and two of the Twilight films.[6](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/johnny-depp-day-drinker-trailer-penelope-cruz/)
[Visual effects](https://www.edgepedia.org/visual-effects) are overseen by production VFX supervisor Mark Breakspear and VFX producer Rupert Porter, with work created by Framestore, Lamppost, 22 Dogs, and Milk Visual Effects.[7](https://www.artofvfx.com/day-drinker/)
## Genre and reception to the teaser
The film has been described in different terms by different outlets: IMDb news coverage calls it a "supernatural revenge thriller"[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18795088/news/), CinemaBlend's coverage of the teaser treats it as a horror vehicle for Depp, noting ghoulish visuals and a scene in which Depp's character has a screwdriver impaled through his hand[9](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/johnny-depp-scariest-role-ever-day-drinker-teaser), and AlloCiné lists it as fantastic, science fiction, and thriller.[10](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D302762.html)
**Context in the actors' careers.** For Depp, the film is one of the first Hollywood-supported movies to bring him back to the big screen after his 2022 trial against ex-wife [Amber Heard](https://www.edgepedia.org/amber-heard); Paramount's Ebenezer: [A Christmas Carol](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-christmas-carol), scheduled for November 13, 2026, precedes it in theaters.[5](https://au.variety.com/2026/film/news/day-drinker-trailer-johnny-depp-madelyn-cline-penelope-cruz-40676/) It is his first major commercial Hollywood project since 2020, after a period spent on European productions such as La favorita del rey (2023) and directing his own Modi (2024).[3](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/04/14/johnny-depp-regresa-a-hollywood-con-day-drinker-un-thriller-grabado-en-espana-y-coprotagonizado-por-penelope-cruz-cadena-ser/) For Cruz, it returns her to the Hollywood studio system after a 2026 of well-reviewed indie productions including La Bola Negra, The Invite, and Bunker.[5](https://au.variety.com/2026/film/news/day-drinker-trailer-johnny-depp-madelyn-cline-penelope-cruz-40676/) For Cline, it is her first project since wrapping [Outer Banks](https://www.edgepedia.org/outer-banks), the Netflix series in which she starred as Sarah Cameron.[5](https://au.variety.com/2026/film/news/day-drinker-trailer-johnny-depp-madelyn-cline-penelope-cruz-40676/)
**Release scheduling.** MovieInsider's production log records the US release date moving from TBA to March 26, 2027, with the release set as nationwide.[2](https://www.movieinsider.com/m20229/day-drinker/updates) On September 25, 2026, the same day the official teaser and a poster were added, the production status changed to Completed.[2](https://www.movieinsider.com/m20229/day-drinker/updates) No streaming release date has been announced.[11](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/day-drinker)
## References
1. [DAY DRINKER | Official Website](https://www.daydrinker.movie/synopsis/)
2. [Day Drinker Movie Updates, MovieInsider](https://www.movieinsider.com/m20229/day-drinker/updates)
3. [Johnny Depp regresa a Hollywood con 'Day Drinker', Cadena SER (14 April 2025)](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/04/14/johnny-depp-regresa-a-hollywood-con-day-drinker-un-thriller-grabado-en-espana-y-coprotagonizado-por-penelope-cruz-cadena-ser/)
4. [Le Film Français No. 1305](https://www.lefilmfrancais.com/images/CMN1_1305_DIGITAL_BD.pdf)
5. ['Day Drinker' Trailer: Johnny Depp's Hollywood Comeback Continues, Variety Australia (25 September 2026)](https://au.variety.com/2026/film/news/day-drinker-trailer-johnny-depp-madelyn-cline-penelope-cruz-40676/)
6. [Johnny Depp Returns to the Ocean in Day Drinker Trailer, TheWrap (24 September 2026)](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/johnny-depp-day-drinker-trailer-penelope-cruz/)
7. [Day Drinker, The Art of VFX (25 September 2026)](https://www.artofvfx.com/day-drinker/)
8. [Day Drinker (2027) - News, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18795088/news/)
9. [Forget Scrooge, Johnny Depp Will Soon Be Back On The Big Screen, CinemaBlend (24 September 2026)](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/johnny-depp-scariest-role-ever-day-drinker-teaser)
10. [Day Drinker - Film 2027, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D302762.html)
11. [Day Drinker streaming: where to watch movie online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/day-drinker)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Action and adventure films (individual works) › Action thrillers, 2020s › Crime, assassin, and vigilante thrillers › Titles symbols to L*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license