Lionsgate Acquires Taron Egerton-Led ‘She Rides Shotgun’ From Fifth Season, Sets August Limited Theatrical Release (EXCLUSIVE)
Lionsgate has acquired “She Rides Shotgun,” an upcoming action crime thriller starring Taron Egerton, from Fifth Season. The studio will give the film a limited theatrical release on Aug. 1.
Ana Sophia Heger, Rob Yang and John Carroll Lynch also star. The film is directed by Nick Rowland from a screenplay written by Jordan Harper, Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski, based on Harper’s novel “She Rides Shotgun.”
The gritty, explosive action-thriller stars Egerton as newly released ex-con Nate. Marked for death by unrelenting enemies, Nate must now protect his estranged 11-year-old daughter, Polly (Heger) at all costs. Shy, precocious and wary of her father, Polly is swept up in Nate’s dangerous plight as they flee to evade the corrupt sheriff and brutal leader of a gang who will stop at nothing to protect his criminal interests. With scant resources and no one to trust, Nate and Polly form a bond forged under fire as he shows her how to fight and survive — and she teaches him what unconditional love truly means in this intense, moving story about loyalty, strength and redemption.
“It’s rare to find a film where an already acclaimed actor does something so extraordinary that you take notice, but with ‘She Rides Shotgun,’ Taron Egerton’s harmonic collaboration with young actress Ana Sophia Heger permeates every scene of this dramatic thrill ride,” said Lauren Bixby, EVP and co-head of acquisitions and co-productions at Lionsgate. “Director Nick Rowland created what is not only a captivating experience, but also one that will leave the audience changed. Lionsgate could not pass up the opportunity to be a part of this journey.”
“She Rides Shotgun” is produced by Brad Weston, p.g.a., Collin Creighton, Nate Matteson, Hiro Murai and Egerton. The executive producers are Ken Kao, Josh Rosenbaum, Teddy Schwarzman, John Friedberg, Walter Parkes, Laurie Macdonald, Alexis Garcia, Chris Rice, Christopher Slager and Graham Taylor. Lionsgate and Fifth Season present, in association with Waypoint Entertainment, the Makeready and Super Frog production. Blanck Mass crafted the original soundtrack for the movie.
“I cannot recall a happier or more soul-enriching experience than making ‘She Rides Shotgun,'” star and producer Egerton said. “It is without doubt the most tender and felt relationship I have had with an actor on screen. Ana Sophia Heger was 10 when we made the film and she is nothing short of extraordinary. In Nick Rowland, I found the kind of like-minded friend and collaborator that comes along once or twice in a lifetime.”
Director Rowland adds, “Working on ‘She Rides Shotgun’ was about honoring Jordan Harper’s brutal, beautiful novel while finding a cinematic language that could carry both its savagery and its soul. The film is about two people — strangers, really — who find a way to become a real family in the most brutal of circumstances. What moved me most was the emotional survival in it. There’s tenderness in the trauma. That’s what I wanted to explore — how love can grow even in the darkest places. Taron Egerton brought such depth and volatility to Nate, and Ana Sophia Heger blew us away with her heart and fearlessness as Polly. I’m incredibly proud of what we created together — it’s a ride, and it doesn’t let go.”
Ana Sophia Heger, Rob Yang and John Carroll Lynch also star. The film is directed by Nick Rowland from a screenplay written by Jordan Harper, Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski, based on Harper’s novel “She Rides Shotgun.”
The gritty, explosive action-thriller stars Egerton as newly released ex-con Nate. Marked for death by unrelenting enemies, Nate must now protect his estranged 11-year-old daughter, Polly (Heger) at all costs. Shy, precocious and wary of her father, Polly is swept up in Nate’s dangerous plight as they flee to evade the corrupt sheriff and brutal leader of a gang who will stop at nothing to protect his criminal interests. With scant resources and no one to trust, Nate and Polly form a bond forged under fire as he shows her how to fight and survive — and she teaches him what unconditional love truly means in this intense, moving story about loyalty, strength and redemption.
“It’s rare to find a film where an already acclaimed actor does something so extraordinary that you take notice, but with ‘She Rides Shotgun,’ Taron Egerton’s harmonic collaboration with young actress Ana Sophia Heger permeates every scene of this dramatic thrill ride,” said Lauren Bixby, EVP and co-head of acquisitions and co-productions at Lionsgate. “Director Nick Rowland created what is not only a captivating experience, but also one that will leave the audience changed. Lionsgate could not pass up the opportunity to be a part of this journey.”
“She Rides Shotgun” is produced by Brad Weston, p.g.a., Collin Creighton, Nate Matteson, Hiro Murai and Egerton. The executive producers are Ken Kao, Josh Rosenbaum, Teddy Schwarzman, John Friedberg, Walter Parkes, Laurie Macdonald, Alexis Garcia, Chris Rice, Christopher Slager and Graham Taylor. Lionsgate and Fifth Season present, in association with Waypoint Entertainment, the Makeready and Super Frog production. Blanck Mass crafted the original soundtrack for the movie.
“I cannot recall a happier or more soul-enriching experience than making ‘She Rides Shotgun,'” star and producer Egerton said. “It is without doubt the most tender and felt relationship I have had with an actor on screen. Ana Sophia Heger was 10 when we made the film and she is nothing short of extraordinary. In Nick Rowland, I found the kind of like-minded friend and collaborator that comes along once or twice in a lifetime.”
Director Rowland adds, “Working on ‘She Rides Shotgun’ was about honoring Jordan Harper’s brutal, beautiful novel while finding a cinematic language that could carry both its savagery and its soul. The film is about two people — strangers, really — who find a way to become a real family in the most brutal of circumstances. What moved me most was the emotional survival in it. There’s tenderness in the trauma. That’s what I wanted to explore — how love can grow even in the darkest places. Taron Egerton brought such depth and volatility to Nate, and Ana Sophia Heger blew us away with her heart and fearlessness as Polly. I’m incredibly proud of what we created together — it’s a ride, and it doesn’t let go.”