Lionsgate will kick off the theatrical run of Vincent D'Onofrio’s western March 8.
Three years after earning his spurs in The Magnificent Seven and In a Valley of Violence, Ethan Hawke is back in the saddle and gunning for trouble in The Kid, a brand new take on the oft-told story of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Directed by actor turned filmmaker Vincent D’Onofrio and costarring Chris Pratt — both of whom rode alongside Hawke in the Magnificent Seven remake — the drama will kick off a theatrical run March 8.
What’s it all about? According to the official synopsis: “A young boy, Rio (Jake Schur), is forced to go on the run across the American Southwest in a desperate attempt to save his sister (Leila George) from his villainous uncle (Pratt). Along the way, he encounters Sheriff Pat Garrett (Hawke), on the hunt for the infamous outlaw Billy the Kid (Dane DeHaan). Rio finds himself increasingly entwined in the lives of these two legendary figures as the cat and mouse game of Billy the Kid’s final year of life plays out. Ultimately Rio is forced to choose which type of man he is going to become, the outlaw or the man of valor, and will use this self-realization in a final act to save his family.”
When we talked with Hawke for a "Live From" profile in our February/March issue, he told us how he landed a role in The Kid for Ben Dickey, the musician-turned-actor who played the title character in Blaze, his critically acclaimed biopic about country musician Blaze Foley.
“It’s kind of funny,” Hawke said, “but when Blaze first made up a name for himself, he was Deputy Dawg. Well, when I was [directing] Blaze, the guy I asked to teach Ben acting was my favorite acting teacher, Vincent D’Onofrio. He did this little whammy on Ben, like he’s done whammies on me before. He’s kind of a wizard when it comes to working with people like that.
“So, later, I showed him the first cut of Blaze, and said, ‘OK, how did we do?’ And he said, ‘I want to cast Ben Dickey in a movie.’ He was getting ready to direct The Kid, so he cast Ben as my deputy — and me as Pat Garrett.”
Here is the Lionsgate trailer for The Kid.