A few months back, it was reported that Armie Hammer’s “comeback movie” would be “Frontier Crucible,” alongside William H. Macy and Thomas Jane. Hammer hasn’t released a film since his career was derailed three years ago by allegations of abuse.
“Frontier Crucible” is directed by Travis Mills (“The Pendragon Cycle”), and the script was apparently, and officially, written by one Harry Whitington, who died in 1989 and wrote the 1961 novel the film is based on.
According to Thomas Jane, on the Movies in Focus Podcast, “Frontier Crucible” was actually written by S. Craig Zahler. It’s unclear if Zahler wrote the whole thing or just refined the dialogue, but judging by Jane’s remarks, it sounds like the script was entirely Zahler’s:
We were blessed with a script that was written by Craig Zahler. I don't think he’s taking credit. I’m not sure, is he taking credit? I don’t even know if I’m supposed to say that. Nobody told me. Maybe I should check my notes.
Makes sense. The producer of this film is Dallas Sonnier, who was behind Zahler’s “Bone Tomahawk,” and the film does sound like it lightly parallels that one.
The film, scheduled to be released by Well Go USA Entertainment on Friday, is set in the Arizona Territory of the 1870s, the film follows a former soldier (Myles Clohessy) with a tragic past who is thrown into an uneasy alliance with three outlaws (Jane, Hammer, and Ryan Masson), a beautiful woman (Mary Stickley), and her wounded husband (Eli Brown) in an attempt to survive the elements and hostiles of the western frontier.
While we await Zahler’s next directorial effort, the still-unshot “The Bookie and the Bruiser,” he has been making some extra cash writing scripts, including “Empire City,” currently in production, starring Hayley Atwell and Gerard Butler.
Speaking of “The Bookie and the Bruiser,” Zahler was slated to reunite with his “Dragged Across Concrete” and “Brawl in Cell Block 99” star Vince Vaughn, along with two-time Oscar winner Adrien Brody (“The Brutalist”). It was supposed to shoot this year but has been pushed back to 2026.