A Comeback For The Western? A Look At Upcoming Movies

Things have been a bit quiet as far as the western goes in recent years.  But things could be changing for the better on that front with a list of big names seemingly getting back into the genre.  So today we’re going to take a look at what’s on the horizon.

First for consideration is By Way Of Helena starring Woody Harrelson and Liam Hemsworth.  From the script by Matt Cook that made the 2009 Black List, Hemsworth will star as David, an 1880s Texas Ranger sent to an isolated frontier town to investigate a series of mysterious murders. There he squares off against Harrelson as a local preacher named Abraham who holds the townsfolk in a fearful grip.  Australian Kieran Darcy-Smith will direct.

Then there is The Homesman, with Tommy Lee Jones.  In Jones’ latest western, in exchange for helping George Briggs (Jones), a claim jumper, Mary Bee Cuddy (Hillary Swank)  recruits him to help her escort three insane women from Nebraska to Iowa.  The Homesman is based on the novel of the same name by Glendon Swarthout.  The Homesman is released November 7th.  You can check out the trailer below.

Following that is In The Valley Of Violence, starring John Travolta and Ethan Hawke.  Whereas The Homesman is more of a drama, In The Valley Of Violence veers into revenge thriller territory.  The film is being directed by Ti West right now in New Mexico.  West is a good director and has directed, in my opinion, the best ghost movie in years with The Innkeepers a year or two back, where he mastered the art of subtlety.

Then, staying with revenge thriller, The Revenant will see Tom Hardy and Leonardo DiCaprio appear.  Based on Michael Punke’s novel The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge, it is about a 19th century fur trapper (DiCaprio) who vows to get revenge after being left for dead by his companions after a bear attack. Filming begins on September 22 with the movie scheduled for an autumn 2015 release.

We also shouldn’t forget Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight which is rumored to feature Kurt Russell, Bruce Dern and Michael Madsen.  Speaking of Kurt Russell he also has a western of the horror variety on his slate with Bone Tomahawk.  Finally, on the TV side of things expect Texas Rising, a miniseries starring Thomas Jane and Ray Liotta.  Not convinced about this eight hour mini?  Bill Paxton is in it, too.

Thanks To: The Man With No Name