Walton Goggins (Fallout, The Hateful Eight) has signed on to star opposite Amber Midthunder (Prey, Novocaine) in Painter, an action thriller acquired by 20th Century Studios with James Cameron serving as executive producer.
The project comes from John Wick creator Derek Kolstad, with long-time stunt coordinator Garrett Warren stepping into the director’s chair for his feature debut.
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The Story
Painter follows a young woman, trained from an early age, who must use every skill she has to save her kidnapped father. Midthunder, who led 20th Century’s 2022 Predator entry Prey, plays the daughter, while Goggins takes on the role of her father. This dad role was initially linked to Reacher star Alan Ritchson before scheduling conflicts forced him to bow out.
Behind the Camera
Warren makes the jump to directing after years of work as a stunt and second-unit specialist, including credits on Cameron’s last two Avatar films, Logan, and this year’s Road House reboot. Kolstad is writing and producing alongside his manager Josh Adler, with Drew Simon and Sam Speiser producing for FilmNation’s Infrared Pictures.
Originally shopped by FilmNation at AFM last autumn, the project caught Cameron’s attention, leading him to steer it to 20th Century Studios. Goggins and Warren previously shared a set on Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, adding another small connection to the production.
A Cast on a Roll
Midthunder continues to build on her post-Prey résumé, recently appearing in Paramount’s Novocaine with Jack Quaid and A24’s Opus alongside Ayo Edebiri and John Malkovich. Her upcoming credits include Prime Video’s adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie and the multi-generational drama Tombs, about an Indigenous American family.
Goggins is in the middle of a huge year: his Emmy-nominated turn in The White Lotus season 3, the final run of The Righteous Gemstones, SXSW drama The Uninvited (directed by his wife, Nadia Conners), and his return as The Ghoul in Fallout season 2, arriving on Amazon on December 17.
Painter does not yet have a release date, but with a high-profile pairing, a stunt veteran at the helm, and Cameron’s imprimatur on the masthead, it’s certainly one to look out for.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
