Matthew McConaughey to Star in Crime Thriller ‘Rivals of Amziah King’

Matthew McConaughey is set to star in “The Rivals of Amziah King,” a crime thriller that takes place in rural Oklahoma.

Black Bear Pictures, which backed “I Care a Lot” and “The Imitation Game,” is fully financing the film. Black Bear International will launch international sales in Cannes, with WME Independent representing the U.S rights.

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Andrew Patterson (“The Vast of Night”) is writing and directing “The Rivals of Amziah King.” Plot details are being kept under wraps, but a press release describes the film as a “deeply atmospheric, character-focused crime thriller set against the unique backdrop of remote Oklahoma.” McConaughey will star in the titular role of Amziah King.

“Black Bear is thrilled to partner with our friends at Heyday in supporting the bold creation that will be ‘The Rivals of Amziah King,'” Black Bear’s Teddy Schwarzman said. “Andrew Patterson’s visionary filmmaking and Matthew McConaughey’s extraordinary talent are sure to deliver audiences a truly original and compelling film.”

David Heyman, Schwarzman, Michael Heimler, Jeffrey Clifford, Will Greenfield and Patterson will serve as producers. Executive producers include Heyday’s Rob Silva and Black Bear’s John Friedberg and Christopher Casanova.

“When I first watched ‘The Vast of Night,’ it was clear me that Andrew Patterson was a remarkable talent with a singular vision,” Heyman of Heyday Films said. “I am incredibly excited to be working with Andrew and to support him and Matthew as they bring Amziah to life and make what I believe will be an extraordinary film.”

McConaughey won an Academy Award for the 2013 biopic “Dallas Buyers Club” and received an Emmy nomination for HBO’s “True Detective.” He previously starred in Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi epic  “Interstellar” and Guy Ritchie’s 2019 action-comedy “The Gentleman.”

McConaughey and Patterson are represented by WME. Greenfield is repped by APA.

Black Bear Pictures is currently in post-production on “Dumb Money,” which chronicles the GameStop short squeeze that riled up Wall Street and stars Paul Dano, Sebastian Stan, Seth Rogen and Pete Davidson. The company also has Michael Mohan’s horror movie “Immaculate” featuring Sydney Sweeney; the drama “Nyad” starring Annette Bening and Jodie Foster; and “The Marsh King’s Daughter” with Daisy Ridley and Ben Mendelsohn.

Heyday Films recently backed Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” and Noah Baumbach’s “White Noise.” It is currently in post-production on the Timothée Chalamet-led musical “Wonka” and Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.”

Black Bear International’s Cannes slate includes Guy Ritchie’s upcoming untitled action movie, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Henry Cavill and Eiza González; romantic epic “On Swift Horses,” with Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi and Will Poulter; Max Minghella’s thriller “Shell” led by Elisabeth Moss, Kate Hudson and Kaia Gerber; and Timur Bekmambetov’s “Motor City” featuring Alan Ritchson.

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