Focus Features has landed on a new release date for The Bikeriders from writer/director Jeff Nichols. Following its 2023 festival run, the crime drama was gearing up for an awards season run with a December 1st theatrical release. The release was postponed during the strikes, and Focus Features’ The Bikeriders will now open on June 21, 2024.
The film currently sits at 85% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics calling it “an affectionate take on a much-romanticized subculture” (Hannah Strong, IGN Movies) and “a vivid, fleshed-out insider’s eye view of a subculture populated by authentically hard-edged lost souls” (Wendy Ide, Screen International).
Oscar nominee Austin Butler (Elvis), Emmy Award winner Jodie Comer (Killing Eve), Oscar nominee Tom Hardy (The Revenant), and Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead) lead the cast. The ensemble also includes Michael Shannon (Bullet Train), Mike Faist (West Side Story), and Boyd Holbrook (Logan).
Inspired by Danny Lyon’s book of photography, The Bikeriders is produced by Tri-State’s Sarah Green and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones. Fred Berger serves as an executive producer.
The Plot:
The Bikeriders is a furious drama following the rise of a fictional 1960s Midwestern motorcycle club through the lives of its members. Inspired by Danny Lyon’s iconic book of photography, The Bikeriders immerses you in the look, feel, and sounds of the bare-knuckled, grease-covered subculture of ’60s motorcycle riders.
Kathy (Comer), a strong-willed member of the Vandals who’s married to a wild, reckless bikerider named Benny (Butler), recounts the Vandals’ evolution over the course of a decade, beginning as a local club of outsiders united by good times, rumbling bikes, and respect for their strong, steady leader Johnny (Hardy). Over the years, Kathy tries her best to navigate her husband’s untamed nature and his allegiance to Johnny, with whom she feels she must compete for Benny’s attention.
As life in the Vandals gets more dangerous, and the club threatens to become a more sinister gang, Kathy, Benny, and Johnny are forced to make choices about their loyalty to the club and to each other.
