Is Apex based on a true story? Charlize Theron Netflix thriller explained

Apex fans are keen to discover what influenced Netflix's latest chart-topping film.

Starring Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton, Apex follows bereaved rock climber Sasha who lost the love of her life and now seeks to push her boundaries in the Australian outback.

However, what she hadn't anticipated was encountering merciless apex predator Ben who compels her into a lethal game of cat and mouse as the serial killer attempts to hunt her down.

Is Apex based on a true story?

While fans have been intrigued to learn if there is any reality behind the film, it has been confirmed that Apex on Netflix is not based on a true story.

Nevertheless, creator Jeremy Robbins, who began penning the hit movie during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, drew inspiration from two of his favourite childhood films.

Robbins considers Apex to be his tribute to the 1972 thriller Deliverance and Meryl Streep's 1994 classic River Wild.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Robbins said: "Deliverance and The River Wild were such touchstones in my childhood and high school life that I was absolutely writing towards them.

"So I very proudly embrace those comparisons to two movies I've loved immensely for most of my life."

And despite Apex not being inspired by a true story, Egerton's murderous character could be compared to some real-life serial killers.

Australian serial killer Ivan Milat, also known as The Backpack Killer, abducted backpackers in the New South Wales forest areas in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Milat served as the real-life inspiration for the 2005 horror film Wolf Creek.

Another notorious Australian serial killer is Robert "Butcher Baker" Hansen, who similarly became infamous for hunting down his victims.

He reportedly transported many of his victims by plane to isolated locations deep within the Alaskan wilderness, releasing them before pursuing them with weapons.

Apex is available to watch on Netflix.