Blood Red Sky Netflix - What We Know So Far

Netflix's upcoming thriller, "Blood Red Sky," shows just how much the movie industry has changed in recent years — and just how much Netflix is responsible for that change. Recently, the streamer has been churning out movies at a faster rate than traditional movie studios. In 2021, it's planning to release 70 films in total, including 52 English-language features, which is literally a new movie every week (via Deadline).

But don't overlook Netflix's foreign-language films. The streamer has ten of those scheduled for 2021, and it's betting big that those ten movies will be a hit in the U.S., too. That's a huge change from just a few years ago, when most major movie studios wouldn't have considered releasing a non-English-language feature in the United States. But Netflix has proven that audiences are much more willing to put up with subtitles than previously assumed. According to Netflix's VP of International Film David Kosse, internal statistics show that 50% of Netflix users are willing to watch either a non-English language film, or a film in a language other than their home country's (also via Deadline).

That's why movies like "Blood Red Sky" exist. Originally entitled "Transatlantic 473," "Blood Red Sky" is a joint English-German production that will debut on the streaming platform later this year. If it proves to be a hit, there's no doubt we'll be seeing many more international movies from Netflix in the future.

Here's everything we know about "Blood Red Sky."

Netflix hasn't yet specified an exact release date yet, but it will premiere some time in July 2021. On April 27, Netflix included "Blood Red Sky" as part of its 2021 Summer Movie Preview featurette, which introduced all the films that will be premiering later this summer. It will be one of more than 30 movies Netflix releases this summer.

Netflix has announced release dates for some, but not all of the movies included on its 2021 summer release schedule, and most of the July releases don't have release dates yet. The two exceptions so far come out during the last week of July. They are: "Resort to Love," a romantic fantasy that will land on Thursday, July 29; and "The Last Mercenary," an action-comedy thriller starring Jean Claude Van Damme that will make its debut on Friday, July 30 (via The Observer).

Netflix usually releases its movies on Wednesdays and Fridays, with the occasional Thursday release, too. Since it's unlikely to land during the same week as Jean Claude Van Damme's thriller, look for "Blood Red Sky" on a Wednesday or Friday during the first three weeks of July.

Since this is an international production, odds are most American viewers won't be familiar with the cast — although, if Netflix's foray into domestic distribution of international films pays off, hopefully that will change. Many of the cast members have already been announced, although the roles they'll be playing are less certain. 

German actress Peri Baumeister will be playing a major part. She's previously starred in many German-language productions, as well as the second and third seasons of the British drama series "The Last Kingdom," and the 2019 German TV series "Skylines." Kais Setti will also be appearing. His other credits include "Dogs of Berlin" and "Tracing Addai." Alexander Scheer, a prolific German actor who's been active since 1988, has also been cast. One of his biggest roles was in the 2010 TV series "Carlos," a show about the notorious 1970's hijacker Carlos the Jackal. Scheer played Johannes Weinrich, a left-wing German terrorist. Finally, Dominic Purcell will be playing a major role. He's a British-Australian actor known for starring in "Prison Break," and two of The CW's Arrowverse series: "The Flash" and "DC's Legends of Tomorrow."

"Blood Red Sky" is a genre hybrid that combines elements of an action-thriller and a supernatural flick. According to the official description, "Blood Red Sky" is about an international flight that gets hijacked by terrorists. One passenger is flying with her son and suffers from a "mysterious illness" that turns her into a monster. Normally she hides her inner monster, but the hijacking forces her to unleash it to protect her boy.

As for what those "mysterious powers" are, Netfix hasn't officially said, but since one of the genres on "Blood Red Sky's" Netflix page is "Vampire Horror Movies," and since the title is "Blood Red Sky," that should give you some idea where this is heading.

Rat Pack Productions producers Benjamin Munz and Christian Becker released a promo reel for "Blood Red Sky" back in 2015. The reel is no longer available, but Screen Anarchy described the film as "'Die Hard' on an airplane, with vampires." Sounds like all the ingredients for a perfect movie.