Lionsgate is putting Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz back in the spotlight with Day Drinker, an upcoming action thriller directed by Marc Webb. The film has become a notable project for Johnny Depp as his first major studio film since 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, while also marking his fourth feature collaboration with Penélope Cruz. A short preview released ahead of the official teaser has already offered a brief, mysterious glimpse of Johnny Depp’s character, with the full teaser yet to be released.
Day Drinker is set aboard a private yacht, where Madelyn Cline plays a bartender whose encounter with a mysterious onboard guest, played by Johnny Depp, pulls her into a dangerous criminal world. Penélope Cruz plays the criminal figure at the centre of that story. Lionsgate has scheduled the film for a worldwide theatrical release on March 26, 2027, giving the project a clear place on the studio’s upcoming release calendar.
One of the biggest talking points surrounding Day Drinker is the reunion between Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz. Their professional history stretches back more than two decades, beginning with Blow in 2001. They later shared the screen in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in 2011 and Murder on the Orient Express in 2017. Their fourth collaboration now moves them into a darker action-thriller setting, with the details of their characters’ connection being kept largely under wraps.
The new preview adds to that mystery without giving away the story. The short footage features tarot cards surrounded by candles before cutting to a glimpse of Johnny Depp in character. An axe then strikes the cards as his voice is heard delivering an ominous line. The official Day Drinker account described the footage as a preview for the teaser, making the launch the next major promotional step for the film. Rather than revealing the plot, the clip uses atmosphere to introduce the dangerous world surrounding the characters.
Behind the camera, Marc Webb brings experience across both romance and major studio filmmaking. He first attracted wide attention with the 2009 romantic comedy-drama (500) Days of Summer before directing The Amazing Spider-Man and its 2014 sequel. For Day Drinker, Marc Webb is working from an original screenplay by Zach Dean, whose previous writing credits include The Tomorrow War and Fast X.
The film also gives Madelyn Cline a central position between its two established stars. Her bartender is the character whose chance meeting with Johnny Depp’s mysterious guest sets the larger chain of events in motion. From there, the story draws her into the orbit of Penélope Cruz’s criminal figure, creating a three-way connection that Lionsgate has kept deliberately intriguing.
The project carries a substantial production team as well, with Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, Adam Kolbrenner and Zach Dean among its producers. Manu Ríos, Arón Piper, Juan Diego Botto and Anika Boyle also appear in supporting roles.
The casting also gives the film a useful balance between familiar stars and a younger lead. Madelyn Cline arrives with recognition from Outer Banks, while the supporting ensemble expands the international flavour of the production. Filming took place in Spain, adding a Mediterranean backdrop to the yacht setting and giving the thriller a polished visual world that matches its secretive premise and high-stakes criminal story internationally.
For audiences, Day Drinker offers the unusual combination of a major Hollywood reunion, a yacht-bound thriller and a deliberately secretive central mystery. With Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz sharing the screen for a fourth time and Marc Webb steering the action, the film is shaping up as one of Lionsgate’s more intriguing 2027 theatrical releases. The teaser is expected to provide the next substantial look at what this new chapter has in store.
Watch Day Drinker Teaser
JOHNNY DEPP. MADELYN CLINE. PENÉLOPE CRUZ. #DayDrinker – TEASER TOMORROW. pic.twitter.com/TR3lMrjpbI
— Day Drinker (@DayDrinkerMovie) September 23, 2026
