by Alex Billington
August 12, 2026
Source: YouTube

"You know what they say: 3 people can keep a secret – if 2 of them are dead!" Vertical has revealed the official trailer for the movie Just Play Dead, a new crime thriller from filmmaker Martin Campbell. Alas this one is also being sent direct-to-VOD with a very brief one week run in theaters coming up. A criminal mastermind plans to fake his death for insurance money while framing his wife's lover. His wife plots to kill him for real and take it all. Both race to outmaneuver each other in a deadly battle of wits. This was filmed almost entirely on the Canary Islands, where many films recently have been shot (due to the filmmaking tax benefits offered there). Just Play Dead stars Samuel L. Jackson as Jack Wolfe and Eva Green as Nora Wolfe, along with María Pedraza, Eoin Macken, and Jason Fernández. This also reminds me of the other film this year Over My Dead Body with a similar cat-and-mouse who-will-kill-who game involving a husband-and-wife premise. Alas this looks like an instantly forgettable, somewhat amusing, but mostly not funny action flick meant for streaming. The other new Eva Green trailer from today is much better than this.

Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Martin Campbell's film Just Play Dead, direct from YouTube:

Wealthy criminal mastermind Jack Wolfe (Jackson) is cornered by the Feds, but you can't arrest a dead man. His plan? Fake his death, claim a $30 million insurance payout with his grieving wife Nora (Green), and frame her surfer lover Chad. But Nora, suffocated by Jack's ruthless control, has her own scheme: kill Jack for real, frame Chad, and keep the fortune for herself. Jack, always a step ahead, sets a deadly trap, turning the unsuspecting lovers against each other. Just Play Dead is directed by acclaimed Kiwi action filmmaker Martin Campbell, also of the movies The Sex Thief, Eskimo Nell, Three for All, Criminal Law, Defenseless, No Escape, GoldenEye, Mask of Zorro, Vertical Limit, Beyond Borders, The Legend of Zorro, Casino Royale, Edge of Darkness, Green Lantern, The Foreigner, The Protégé, Memory, Dirty Angels, and Cleaner previously. The screenplay is written by Dan Gordon. Produced by Moshe Diamant, Sagiv Diamant, Valentin Dimitrov, Gaby Whyte Hart, Phil Hunt, Mario Reinach. This hasn't premiered at any festivals or elsewhere, as far as we know. Vertical debuts Campbell's Just Play Dead action comedy movie in select US theaters starting August 28th, 2026 then on VOD right away on September 1st. Anyone want to watch?

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