Taron Egerton is bringing his action skills once more to the big screen. The actor leads “She Rides Shotgun,” which Nick Rowland directs. Ana Sophia Heger co-stars as Egerton’s onscreen daughter whom he must protect from gang members and corrupt cops after leaving prison.
The official synopsis for “She Rides Shotgun” reads: “Marked for death by unrelenting enemies, Nate (Egerton) must now protect his estranged 11-year-old daughter, Polly (Ana Sophia Heger) at all costs. Shy, precocious, and wary of her father, Polly is swept up in Nate’s dangerous plight as they flee to evade the corrupt sheriff and brutal leader of a gang who will stop at nothing to protect his criminal interests. With scant resources and no one to trust, Nate and Polly form a bond forged under fire as he shows her how to fight and survive — and she teaches him what unconditional love truly means in this intense, moving story about loyalty, strength, and redemption.” Rob Yang and John Carroll Lynch co-star.
Rowland directs from a script by Jordan Harper, Ben Collins, and Luke Piotrowski; the film is adapted from Harper’s book of the same name. Rowland previously helmed the Netflix film “Calm with Horses” starring Barry Keoghan and Cosmo Jarvis. The feature earned 10 BIFA nominations including Best Director, and 4 BAFTA nominations including Outstanding British Film.
“She Rides Shotgun” was acquired by Lionsgate earlier this year. Actor and producer Egerton, who recently led series “Smoke,” explained in a statement to Variety that “She Rides Shotgun” is one of his career highlights. “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 onscreen,” he said. “Ana Sophia Heger was 10 when we made the film and she is nothing short of extraordinary. In Nick Rowland, I found the kind of like-minded friend and collaborator that comes along once or twice in a lifetime.”
Director 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. What moved me most was the emotional survival in it. There’s tenderness in the trauma. That’s what I wanted to explore — how love can grow even in the darkest places. Taron Egerton brought such depth and volatility to Nate, and Ana Sophia Heger blew us away with her heart and fearlessness as Polly. I’m incredibly proud of what we created together — it’s a ride, and it doesn’t let go.”
“She Rides Shotgun” is produced by Brad Weston, Collin Creighton, Nate Matteson, Hiro Murai, and Egerton. The executive producers are Ken Kao, Josh Rosenbaum, Teddy Schwarzman, John Friedberg, Walter Parkes, Laurie Macdonald, Alexis Garcia, Chris Rice, Christopher Slager, and Graham Taylor. Lionsgate and Fifth Season present, in association with Waypoint Entertainment, the Makeready and Super Frog production. Blanck Mass crafted the original soundtrack for the movie.
Rowland is next reuniting with Fifth Season for crime thriller “The Final Score.”
Lionsgate will release “She Rides Shotgun” in select theaters August 1. Check out the trailer below.