Finnish filmmaker Renny Harlin started out as a commercial director, but soon found his way in the narrative world by directing sequels in popular franchises, like Die Hard 2 and A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. In the 1990s, he worked with iconic action hero Sylvester Stallone on Cliffhanger, made the pirate movie Cutthroat Island, and directed action-comedy movie The Long Kiss Goodnight. Harlin has a knack for shark movies, too, having directed Deep Blue Sea in 1999, and then making Deep Water in 2026. He also spent more time on franchise work in the 2000s and beyond, directing Exorcist: The Beginning, and helming three movies in The Strangers series.