Ethan Hawke & Russell Crowe’s New Depression-Era Thriller Officially Lands Release Date

is headed to theaters.

The new adventure film, directed by Padraic McKinley and set during the Great Depression, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival this year to widespread praise. Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe star in the movie, alongside Sam Hazeldine, Julia Jones, Austin Amelio, and Avi Nash.

After the film premiered, Vertical Entertainment announced it will distribute “The Weight” across North America, with a broad release in theaters planned for September 18th. Director McKinley expressed excitement about the deal, saying:

I’m thrilled with how The Weight turned out – it was a fantastic team effort with a brilliant cast, including Ethan and Russell, and great support from my colleagues at Fields Entertainment, augenschein, Under the Influence, and Construction Films. The positive response at Sundance and Berlinale was incredibly gratifying, and I’m excited to work with Vertical to bring this classic moviegoing experience to theaters in September.

Vertical Partner Peter Jarowey also commented on the announcement, praising the strong acting by Hawke and Crowe, as well as the film’s compelling story and unique style.

Featuring strong performances from Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe, The Weight is a clever and character-focused thriller. It feels both modern and reminiscent of classic 70s thrillers. We’re excited to be working with augenschein Filmproduktion again, and with Padraic, Simon, Ethan, Nathan, and Ryan to bring this compelling story to the cinema.

The movie is about a father on a dangerous journey to reunite with his daughter. He’s forced to travel with a group of people he doesn’t trust while secretly carrying gold.

After Samuel Hawke is separated from his daughter and imprisoned, the warden, played by Russell Crowe, makes him an offer: help smuggle gold from a dangerous, faraway mine with a crew of fellow prisoners, and he’ll be granted his freedom. However, as the group travels through the harsh wilderness, they discover the biggest danger isn’t the environment—it’s the treachery and violence brewing amongst them. Surrounded by greed and mistrust, Samuel must take extreme risks to get back to his daughter.

After successful premieres at both the Sundance and Berlin International Film Festivals, the film The Weight has secured a North American distributor and a theatrical release date. Critics have lauded the film’s classic adventure style and Ethan Hawke’s strong performance, resulting in a 94% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Ethan Hawke’s company, The Weight, was acquired shortly after he received a Best Actor nomination at the Academy Awards for his role in Blue Moon (2025). Michael B. Jordan ultimately won the award for Sinners (2025). Hawke has been busy with other projects too, recently appearing in Black Phone 2 (2025) and She Dances (2025), and starring in his own FX series, The Lowdown.

Russell Crowe continues to be a prolific actor, recently appearing in the World War II drama Nuremberg, set to release in 2025. He also starred in Kraven the Hunter and The Exorcism, both released in 2024.

The Weight is the first feature film directed by McKinley, who previously directed episodes of television shows like Kingdom, Fightworld, and Debris. McKinley has worked with both Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe before, having been an executive producer on Hawke’s The Good Lord Bird and the Crowe-starring film, The Exorcism.

It’s still early to know how audiences will react to The Weight, but the positive reviews suggest the movie will do well in theaters. While distribution deals for other countries haven’t been finalized, it likely won’t be long before McKinley’s film is playing in cinemas around the world.

2026-03-19 21:40

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