Lionsgate has unveiled the official trailer for She Rides Shotgun, a gritty-looking crime thriller led by Taron Egerton and directed by BAFTA-nominated filmmaker Nick Rowland (Calm with Horses). Watch the trailer above and learn more below.
Based on the Edgar Award-winning novel by Jordan Harper, She Rides Shotgun follows Nate (Egerton), a recently released ex-con marked for death by a ruthless gang. Thrust into a violent pursuit, Nate must protect his estranged 11-year-old daughter Polly (Ana Sophia Heger) as they flee from a corrupt sheriff and dangerous enemies with everything to lose. Along the way, Nate teaches Polly how to fight and survive — and Polly, in turn, forces her father to confront what it truly means to love and be loved.
More on Screen Realm:
Grit, Guns, and a Father-Daughter Story
The intense trailer highlights a series of nighttime escapes, brutal brawls, car chases, and tense standoffs, with Nate trying to shield Polly from the escalating danger while being partly responsible for putting her in it. At one point, she fires off a gun in an attempt to defend her father. “I don’t ever want to see you pull the trigger again,” an emotional Nate tells her. “That’s what I do. That’s what I’m for. You let me do that if it comes to it, okay?”
Beneath the carnage, the promise of an emotional core. “I’ll keep you safe,” this desperate tells his daughter. “Promise?” she responds. He hesitates slightly. “Promise,” he says as they hug.
Egerton and Heger Lead the Emotional Core
It also looks like an intense, all-in performance from Egerton. In a statement shared via Variety, the actor said, “I cannot recall a happier or more soul-enriching experience than making She Rides Shotgun. 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.”
Rowland added, “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… There’s tenderness in the trauma. That’s what I wanted to explore — how love can grow even in the darkest places.”
Cast and Creative Team
Joining Egerton and Heger in the cast are Rob Yang, Keith Jardine, Travis Hammer, Santiago Segura, and John Carroll Lynch. The original soundtrack is by Blanck Mass. The screenplay comes from Harper, Ben Collins, and Luke Piotrowski.
She Rides Shotgun is produced by Brad Weston, Collin Creighton, Nate Matteson, Hiro Murai, and Egerton. Executive producers include Ken Kao, Teddy Schwarzman, Walter Parkes, Laurie Macdonald, and others.
Lionsgate’s EVP Lauren Bixby said, “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.”
Release Date
She Rides Shotgun will be opening in select U.S. cinemas on August 1. An Australian release date has yet to be confirmed.
