Jeff Nichols of Take Shelter and Mud takes on the rebels of a bygone era as Tom Hardy and Austin Butler deal with rival biker gangs.
Austin Butler is going from blades to bikes as he goes from Dune: Part Two to the upcoming period drama, The Bikeriders. Butler revealed that his immediate start on The Bikeriders meant that he couldn’t shave his hair for Dune 2 as time was not allotted to have his hair grow back, so he’s actually wearing a prosthetic bald cap. He got to keep his blonde locks and Focus Features has now released the new trailer for The Bikeriders, which Butler stars in with Tom Hardy.
If you recall, The Bikeriders was originally set for a fall 2023 release via Disney’s Searchlight. The studio ended up selling the film (in an unusual move) to Focus, who decided to set it up as summer counter programming. This might have been a smart move as Butler is sure to come off Dune: Part Two an even bigger star than he was a few months ago.
The official synopsis reads,
“The Bikeriders is a furious drama following the rise of a fictional 1960s Midwestern motorcycle club through the lives of its members. Inspired by Danny Lyon’s iconic book, The Bikeriders immerses you in the look, feel, and sounds of the bare-knuckled, grease-covered subculture of ’60s motorcycle riders. Kathy (Comer), a strong-willed member of the Vandals who’s married to a wild, reckless bike rider named Benny (Butler), recounts the Vandals’ evolution over the course of a decade, beginning as a local club of outsiders united by good times, rumbling bikes, and respect for their strong, steady leader Johnny (Hardy). Over the years, Kathy tries her best to navigate her husband’s untamed nature and his allegiance to Johnny, with whom she feels she must compete for Benny’s attention. As life in the Vandals gets more dangerous, and the club threatens to become a more sinister gang, Kathy, Benny, and Johnny are forced to make choices about their loyalty to the club and to each other. Sarah Green, p.g.a., Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, p.g.a., and Arnon Milchan are the producers. The executive producers are Yariv Milchan, Michael Schaefer, Sam Hanson, David Kern, and Fred Berger.”
Produced by Sarah Green and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, The Bikeriders features a cast that would make any Sons of Anarchy fan drool with envy. Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road, Venom), Boyd Holbrook (Logan, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), Jodie Comer (Free Guy, The Last Duel), Michael Shannon (The Flash, Take Shelter), Austin Butler (Elvis, Dune: Part Two), and Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead, The Boondock Saints) lead the cast. Damon Herriman (Justified, Judy & Punch), Mike Faist (West Side Story, The Atlantic City Story), Karl Glusman (Devs, Nocturnal Animals), and others also star.
