Gao Haojun suffers from mania. Once, during a traffic jam, a severe episode led to a car accident that caused his daughter, Gao Xiaojun, to lose her eyesight. Haojun’s condition didn’t improve, and later, he was even detained for fighting. His family fell apart – his wife, Fu Yuan, left him, taking their daughter with her, leaving Haojun overwhelmed with guilt.Years later, Haojun rebuilt his life as an international security expert with Hangyu Airlines. On the maiden flight of the airline’s Airbus A380, he unexpectedly crossed paths with his ex-wife and daughter as he boarded the luxurious aircraft. However, during the flight, 12 hijackers seized control of the plane and its 800 passengers at an altitude of over 10,000 feet. As the hijackers began mercilessly killing passengers, Haojun stepped up, using both his intellect and physical prowess to fight back. His daughter and wife secretly assisted him.
Through the concerted efforts of many, the plane made an emergency landing on a ring road using a specialized truck, and all the hijackers were either killed or arrested.
Universe Entertainment chairman Daneil Lam first announced the film in March 2020, where it was titled A380, and was in talks with Andy Lau to star while production was set to begin in summer of the year.[5][6]
On 9 March 2021, it was announced that Lau would be starring in the film as well as serving as producer, with Alvin Lam as co-producing and Oxide Pang directing. Liu Tao and Zhang Zifeng were also confirmed to be participating in the film, respectively playing the wife and daughter of Lau’s character. With the film’s title changed to Crisis Route, production was set to begin in early September of the year.[7]
Principal photography for the film officially began on 27 September 2021, which was also Lau’s 60th birthday, in Qingdao. The film held a production commencement ceremony that day as well as a birthday celebration for Lau. An interactive teaser poster was released which features a QR code when scanned with a cellular phone, an announcement of a plane hijacking can heard spoken by actor Guo Xiaodong, who plays a CEO of an airline company in the film. Being the first Chinese-language film to feature the interior of the Airbus A380, the film reportedly spent HK$300 million to build a 1:1 replica of the aircraft.[2][8]
Production for Crisis Route officially wrapped up on 19 November 2021.
