A Sequel To Kurt Russell's Greatest Western Is Finally Happening, And His Replacement Is Perfect

Over a decade after it arrived, Kurt Russell’s best Western is finally getting a follow-up. While the list of Kurt Russell Westerns is small compared to someone like Clint Eastwood, it’s no less impressive. In 1993, for instance, Russell fronted (and allegedly ghost-directed) one of the greatest Westerns of the past 40 years, Tombstone.

This Wyatt Earp epic suffered a troubled production to become a rewatchable classic. Many years later, Russell returned to Westerns, playing a bounty hunter trapped inside a cabin alongside seven other killers in Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight. 2015 turned out to be a busy year for Russell starring in Westerns and donning an epic mustache.

That year also saw him front the S. Craig Zahler movie, Bone Tomahawk. This low-budget blend of Western and horror cast Russell as a sheriff who recruits a small posse to rescue a kidnapped teacher; unbeknownst to them, they’re chasing a band of vicious cannibals. Bone Tomahawk became infamous for a really graphic death and was considered one of the best films of that year.

It could even be argued that Bone Tomahawk is Kurt Russell’s best Western, full stop. It’s got a superb cast (including Richard Jenkins and Patrick Wilson), great dialogue and its violence lingers long in the mind. Now, over a decade later, an acclaimed Zahler screenplay called The Brigands of Rattlecreek is finally moving forward.

The Brigands Of Rattlecreek Is A Spiritual Sequel To Bone Tomahawk

This must be a particular relief to Zahler, who penned the script 20 years ago. It has often been called one of the great unproduced screenplays, and like Bone Tomahawk, the story starts slow before descending into graphic violence. The setup sees a group of bandits raid a small town during a rainstorm, and in the aftermath, a sheriff leads a posse to seek revenge against these “brigands.”

From the plot description alone, the parallels to Bone Tomahawk are clear. That’s why it could be seen as a spiritual sequel to the Russell Western, and while it might lack the overt horror tone of the final act, The Brigands Of Rattlecreek is said to be no less harrowing. Zahler’s screenplays and books are known for their gory bloodshed, which is one reason it’s taken 20 years for the film to come together.

Violence aside, the script is said to have excellent characters and dialogue, and the talent it has attracted bears that out. Matthew McConaughey will play the sheriff, with Pedro Pascal, Tang Wei and Austin Butler filling out the cast. None other than Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, The Handmaiden) will direct, too.

The Brigands Of Rattlecreek Could Be The Best Western Of The 2020s

Kurt Russell looking through wooden bars in Bone Tomahawk.

The 2020s have seen the arrival of some fantastic Western shows, including Taylor Sheridan’s 1883 and Dark Winds. It’s been slim pickings on the big screen, though, but there’s an excellent chance The Brigands Of Rattlecreek will make up for that. Again, its screenplay has been hailed for years as a classic in the making, while the talent in front of and behind the camera speaks for itself.

Before Park Chan-wook became attached, Justin Lin (Fast Five) was in line to helm The Brigands Of Rattlecreek.

Like Bone Tomahawk before it, the violence featured in The Brigands Of Rattlecreek will probably become the main talking point around it. What few critics note of Zahler’s work is that nearly all of his movies are slow-burns that focus heavily on character before the gore kicks in. By all accounts, The Brigands Of Rattlecreek is amongst the best scripts he’s written, which is why the prospect of it happening has never fully gone away.

The Western genre could use another Bone Tomahawk-style shakeup, and this might just be the movie to do it. If nothing else, the prospect of a director as gifted as Park Chan-wook helming an S. Craig Zahler script should be enough to get movie fans excited for The Brigands Of Rattlecreek.