Motor City (film)

Motor City
Directed byPotsy Ponciroli
Written byChad St. John
Produced by
  • Greg Silverman
  • Jon Berg
  • Cliff Roberts
  • Chad St. John
StarringAlan Ritchson
Shailene Woodley
Ben Foster
Pablo Schreiber
CinematographyJohn Matysiak
Edited byJoe Galdo
Music bySteve Jablonsky
Production
companies
Stampede Ventures
Gramercy Park Media
Distributed byRLJE Films
Release date
  • August 30, 2025 (2025-08-30) (Venice)
Running time
103 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30 million

Motor City is a 2025 American action thriller film directed by Potsy Ponciroli, written by Chad St. John. Starring Alan Ritchson, Shailene Woodley, Ben Foster and Pablo Schreiber, it follows John Miller's, an ex-con, quest for revenge in 1970s Detroit.

The film had its world premiere in the Venice Spotlight section of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on August 30, 2025.[1]

Cast

Production

Chad St. John's script was included in the 2009 Black List; in 2011, the film was at its early development stages as a potential Warner Bros. project, with Albert Hughes attached as director and Chris Evans being offered the lead role by the studio.[2]

By September 2011, Dominic Cooper entered negotiations to star in the film after Joel Silver, who was producing the film through his company Dark Castle Entertainment for Warner Bros., was impressed with Cooper's dual role performance in The Devil's Double.[3] In March 2012, it was reported that Cooper had left the project due to scheduling conflicts and Jake Gyllenhaal was in talks to replace Cooper and star alongside Amber Heard and Gary Oldman.[4] Later that same month, Gyllenhaal experienced similar scheduling conflicts which resulted in the producers entering into negotiations with Gerard Butler to play the lead.[5] By August of that year, it was reported that Adrien Brody had joined the film to play the villain after Oldman dropped out.[6]

Production had been planned for a September 2012 start in Atlanta with Emmett/Furla Oasis and Mark Damon's Foresight Unlimited providing financing, but by that month a spokesperson for Foresight stated shooting would be delayed as they didn't believe they could meet the March 31, 2013 delivery date without compromising the quality of the film.[7] While Warner Bros. did voice the intention of continuing on with Motor City, the company's decision to end their relationship with producer Joel Silver likely played a factor in the project's collapse as evidenced by Warner Bros. decision to scale back distribution and promotion of Silver's The Apparition during that time.[8]

In May 2023, it was announced that Alan Ritchson was cast in the film, with Timur Bekmambetov then announced as the director.[9] In May 2024, it was announced that directorial duties were shifted from Bekmambetov to Potsy Ponciroli and that Shailene Woodley, Ben Foster and Pablo Schreiber were added to the cast.[10] It was also reported in May 2024 that filming would begin on July 10 and would occur in New Jersey and partially in Detroit.[11]

NJ.com reported in August 2024 that filming was then occurring in New Jersey.[12] Foster revealed in September that same year that the film reportedly contains only "five lines of dialogue."[13]

Release

The film premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, in the Venice Spotlight sidebar.[14] In October 2025, RLJE Films acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film for $3–4 million, planning to release it sometime in 2026.[15]

Lawsuit

In 2013, after the Warner Bros. incarnation of Motor City was cancelled, Gerard Butler sued Randall Emmett and George Furla who were financing the film through Emmett/Furla Oasis for $5.1 million in damages, alleging breach of contract and breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.[16] Butler claimed he had a pay-or-play deal with the producers guaranteeing $4 million even if the film was never made as well as up to $2 million in compensation and claimed that he turned down other offers due to his commitment to the film and also needed to negotiate with the producers of Olympus Has Fallen to ensure the shooting schedule wouldn't be affected.[16] An attorney for Emmett/Furla Oasis countered that they had no legal obligation to pay Butler as there was no written agreement.[16]

References

  1. ^ "Biennale Cinema 2025 | Motor City". La Biennale di Venezia. July 16, 2025. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  2. ^ Parker, Cat (August 3, 2011). "Chris Evans Eyes Motor City". MovieWeb. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  3. ^ "Dominic Cooper revs up 'Motor City'". Variety. September 28, 2011. Archived from the original on February 28, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  4. ^ "Jake Gyllenhaal in talks to join 'Motor City"". Variety. March 7, 2012. Archived from the original on June 25, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  5. ^ "Gerard Butler on 'Motor City' assembly line". Variety. March 29, 2012. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  6. ^ "Adrien Brody to play 'Motor City' villain". Variety. August 24, 2012. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  7. ^ "'Motor City' shooting delayed". Variety. September 1, 2012. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  8. ^ "WB ends Joel Silver era with $30 million payout". Variety. September 24, 2012. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  9. ^ Barraclough, Leo (May 3, 2023). "'Reacher' Star Alan Ritchson to Lead Timur Bekmambetov's Action Thriller 'Motor City' From Stampede, Black Bear Intl. (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  10. ^ Barraclough, Leo (May 10, 2024). "Shailene Woodley, Ben Foster, Pablo Schreiber Join Action Thriller 'Motor City' From Stampede Ventures (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  11. ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2012616/trivia/?item=tr8144122&ref_=ext_shr_lnk
  12. ^ Kuperinsky, Amy (August 1, 2024). "Detroit-set 'Motor City' action thriller movie filming in N.J." NJ.com. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  13. ^ McPherson, Chris (September 6, 2024). "'Reacher' Star Alan Ritchson's Next Big Movie, 'Motor City,' Is a "Virtually Silent, Rock Disco Revenge Movie"". Collider. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  14. ^ Roxborough, Scott (July 22, 2025). "Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein,' Benny Safdie's 'The Smashing Machine,' Kathryn Bigelow's 'A House of Dynamite' Among Stellar Venice Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  15. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (October 30, 2025). "Alan Ritchson's Dialogue-Free Revenge Thriller 'Motor City' Gets U.S. Deal & Theatrical Commitment In 2026". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
  16. ^ a b c Dibdin, Emma (February 14, 2013). "Gerard Butler sues 'Motor City' producers over unpaid salary". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on March 2, 2026. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
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