Though he’s worked steadily in TV and film since the early 2000s, Alan Ritchson got his claim to fame playing ex-military cop Jack Reacher in Amazon Prime Video’s original series,Reacher.Based on the books by Lee Child,Reacheris packed with action-fueled sequences and features a heroic protagonist reminiscent of a knight in shining armor from old storybooks. Now, inRitchson’s upcoming movie,Motor City, he is going against type (sort of).
Taking place in 1970s Detroit,Motor Cityis a gritty tale of revenge that will still have plenty of action, but this time Ritchson’s character is only out for blood and revenge. While there’s not a whole lot of info pertaining to the Alan Ritchson movie just yet, there’s enough to know that audiences are in for a wild ride.
Motor City Latest News
Filming In New Jersey Saw The Motor City Crew Getting To Blow Up A Jail
Filming forMotor Citystarted in July in al-Ula, Saudi Arabia, and New Jersey, specifically in Jersey City and Paterson. According to theNorth Jerseywebsite, an empty jail due for demolition was used in the film. This was a stroke of luck for the cast and crew, who filmed not only the interior of Passaic County Jail but also got to blow it up afterward using special effects for an explosive scene in the movie.
The most recent news forMotor Citycomes from actor Ben Foster, one of the main cast members, who spoke withColliderat the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2024. When asked about the film, Foster revealed that the movie would be mostly silent, with only “five lines of dialogue.” He also gave a glowing review of his co-star, Alan Ritchson, saying:
He’s terrific as a mover. I think he wants to do some deeper work or rather different kinds of work than he’s been doing, and that’s a joy.
No release date has been announced yet forMotor City.However, with director Potsy Ponciroli’s filmOld Henrybeing released about eight months following production, it’s possibleMotor Citymay be released around Spring 2025.
Motor City Confirmed
Potsy Ponciroli Is Set To Direct
In May 2023,Varietybroke the exclusive announcement about theMotor Cityfilm. In a later article,Varietyalso provided a list of the cast and named Potsy Ponciroli as the director, along with producers Jon Berg and Greg Silverman from Stampede Ventures. Berg said: “Potsy has a killer vision for the film: dynamic camera, brilliant music, muscle cars, and an immersive sound design surrounding badass action sequences.”
Ponciroli is an independent writer-director who garnered attention for his 2021 Western,Old Henry.Starring Tim Blake Nelson,Old Henryreceived high praise from critics, and it was selected by the National Board of Review as one of the Top 10 Independent Films of 2021 (viaDeadline). Ponciroli also directed the 2024 indie filmGreedy People,which starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lily James, and Himesh Patel.
Motor City Cast
Alan Ritchson Is Joined By Ben Foster, Shailene Woodley & More
Along with Alan Ritchson as John Miller, the hero ofMotor City,the movie’s cast is chock-full of notable namesand faces. Co-starring as the film’s antagonist, Reynolds, Foster is well known for his work in modern Westerns,Hell or High Water(2016) and3:10 to Yuma(2007).
Hell or High Water,3:10 to Yuma
Kent
Gotham,The O.C.
Also in the cast is Shailene Woodley as Sophia. She starred as Triss in theDivergentfranchise, andWoodley also playedHazel in the tear-jerker drama,The Fault in Our Stars.Pablo Schreiber, known for his TV roles inAmerican Gods, Halo,andOrange is the New Black,is also set to appear inMotor Cityas Savick, as is Ben McKenzie ofGotham, who plays a police officer named Kent.
Motor City Story Details
Alan Ritchson Plays A Formerly Incarcerated Mechanic Out For Revenge
InMotor City,Alan Ritchson is John Miller, a Detroit mechanic who is framed and sent to prison by Reynolds, a dangerous crime boss. After his release, Miller tracks down the people responsible for his incarceration to enact deadly vengeance and rescue his girlfriend, Sophia.
Alan Ritchson’s Upcoming Action Role Sounds Closer To John Wick Than Jack Reacher
Alan Ritchson’s upcoming starring role in Motor City gives the actor a chance to play someone more like John Wick than Jack Reacher.
The plot forMotor Citymay be simple and formulaic, but it isn’t what makes the movie so intriguing. What does is that the film reportedly has little to no dialogue, letting visual spectacle like high-octane action sequences do the talking. Another big draw forMotor Cityis how music plays a huge part in telling the story.
Motor City’s Soundtrack
Jack White Of The White Stripes Is Serving As Musical Director
It has been established by multiple people involved inMotorCitythat the movie features an important musical element. Cast member Ben McKenzie called the movie a “rock disco revenge film.” Producer Jon Berg also described it as “somewhere between an opera, a music video, and an action movie.” With music having such a key role,producers brought in Detroit native and Grammy-award winner Jack White as musical director forMotor City.
White is best known as the singer, songwriter, and guitarist for The White Stripes with his drummer sister, Meg White, but he’s no stranger to filmmaking. Not only has he directed the majority of his own music videos, he’s also acted in a few movies as well. White played a wandering musician in the 2003 movieCold Mountain,andElvis Presley inWalk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.It’s safe to say that music will play a huge role inMotor City,and White’s experience and acclaim will be an invaluable asset.
