How Jeremy Robbins Turned Pandemic Doomscrolling Into Netflix Hit 'Apex'

Key facts

• Jeremy Robbins wrote the spec script for 'Apex' during the pandemic after his TV writers' room closed.
• The film stars Charlize Theron as Sasha, a grieving adventurer, and Taron Egerton as Ben, a cannibalistic hunter.
• Set in an Australian national park, the thriller was directed by Baltasar Kormákur.
• Robbins describes the climactic scene as the hardest to write, with Ben cradling Sasha in a moment of fragility.
• Eric Bana plays Tommy, Sasha's deceased partner who died in a climbing accident on Norway's Troll Wall.
• Robbins cites 'Deliverance' (1972) and 'The River Wild' (1994) as inspirations for the cat-and-mouse game.

A Spec Script Born From Lockdown

When the pandemic shuttered his writers' room in 2020, screenwriter Jeremy Robbins found himself standing in his home office, staring at a blank page. The Washington D.C. native, who had spent years moving from TV room to TV room, decided to channel his energy into a feature script rather than doomscroll through the news. The result was 'Apex,' a survival-action thriller that has become Netflix's newest chart-topper. Robbins, who had primarily worked in television since film school, saw the involuntary break as an opportunity to return to the kind of stories he loved as a child. 'I was holding on with all of my strength as all the cracks to put your fingers in started to disappear,' he said, describing his career anxiety as a metaphorical mountain. The script, he explained, was 'something that I loved and wanted to see as an audience member.'

A Grieving Adventurer and a Cannibalistic Hunter

Set primarily in an Australian national park, 'Apex' follows Sasha (Charlize Theron), a grieving adventurer exploring the homeland terrain of her recently deceased partner, Tommy (Eric Bana). After Tommy's tragic accident during their climb of Norway's Troll Wall, Sasha focuses on kayaking rather than summiting — until she encounters Ben (Taron Egerton), a cannibalistic hunter who forces her into a ritualistic cat-and-mouse game. Robbins conceived the chase as an homage to 'Deliverance' (1972) and 'The River Wild' (1994), but he layered it with psychological depth. Ben, he said, is an unhinged Peter Pan who navigates the park like his Neverland, and the film becomes a twisted take on the maternal bond between Peter and Wendy Darling. This dynamic culminates in a climactic scene where Ben cannot bring himself to strangle Sasha, instead cradling her in a moment of vulnerability.

The Hardest Scene to Write

Robbins described the climactic confrontation as the most challenging part of the script. 'In every version of the script, that was always the hardest moment for me to write,' he said. He believes that Ben sees his mother in Sasha, which creates a moment of fragility that contradicts the ritualistic identity he has built. 'I also think he realizes that if he kills her like this, it goes against the ritualistic aspect that he's built his entire identity around,' Robbins added. The scene required multiple rewrites, even after Charlize Theron signed on. Robbins noted that Theron's involvement prompted adjustments, though he did not specify which elements changed. The film's memorable beef jerky prop also has a backstory, which Robbins discussed in a spoiler conversation.

From TV Rooms to Feature Success

Robbins' path to 'Apex' mirrors that of other pandemic-era screenwriters who pivoted from television to features. He compared his journey to that of Drew Hancock, who wrote the script for 'Companion' during the same period. Coming out of film school, Robbins said he was 'just looking to work' and found his first toehold in TV, moving from room to room and set to set. 'You learn a ton about the process of making something from script to screen,' he explained. The pandemic closed his writers' room permanently, forcing him to recalibrate. Standing in his home office, he decided to write a survival-action thriller — the kind of movie he loved as a kid. 'Everything that has happened with it since then has been unexpected and surprising in the best possible way,' he said.

A Career-Elevating Breakthrough

The success of 'Apex' has opened new doors for Robbins, who now fields questions about which properties he would like to tackle next. The film's chart-topping performance on Netflix underscores the audience appetite for survival thrillers with psychological complexity. Robbins' ability to weave personal grief, ritualistic violence, and a twisted Peter Pan narrative into a single story has drawn comparisons to classic survival actioners while feeling distinctly modern. For Robbins, the metaphorical mountain he faced — a career in Hollywood — has become less steep. 'I was staring up at the sheer face of a cliff that felt impossible to climb, wondering, How am I going to find my way up?' he recalled. With 'Apex,' he has found his foothold.

What Comes Next for the Scribe

Robbins has not announced his next project, but the success of 'Apex' positions him as a sought-after screenwriter in the survival-action genre. He has expressed interest in taking on established properties, though he has not specified which ones. The film's reception suggests that audiences are hungry for original thrillers that combine physical peril with emotional depth. As Netflix continues to dominate the streaming landscape, 'Apex' serves as a case study in how a spec script born from lockdown can become a global hit. For Robbins, the journey from a closed writers' room to a chart-topping film has been 'unexpected and surprising' — but also a testament to the power of writing what you love.

The bottom line

• Jeremy Robbins wrote 'Apex' as a spec script during the pandemic after his TV writers' room closed.
• The film stars Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton, with Eric Bana in a supporting role.
• Set in an Australian national park, the thriller blends survival action with a twisted Peter Pan narrative.
• Robbins cited 'Deliverance' and 'The River Wild' as inspirations for the cat-and-mouse game.
• The climactic scene, where Ben cradles Sasha instead of killing her, was the hardest for Robbins to write.
• The film's success has elevated Robbins' career, opening doors to new opportunities in features.