Michael Keaton and Morgan Freeman set to reunite after nearly 40 years in new Western thriller
Michael Keaton and Morgan Freeman are two of the most acclaimed stars in Hollywood. The Oscar winners are now set to join forces for a Western thriller titled 'Rode to Ruin,' according to Deadline. Keaton will not only star in the movie, but will also direct it. No release date has been announced yet, but a synopsis has been released. Keaton will play U.S. Marshal Henry Tillman, and Freeman will co-star as a wanted outlaw, Joseph Mulberry. The thriller will focus on Henry's 40-year pursuit of his wife’s killer, a cold trail that leads him to Joseph, an aging outlaw losing his memory and a 'buried truth neither man may survive.'
These two powerhouses first worked together in the 1988 movie titled 'Clean and Sober.' The drama focused on Daryl Poynter, played by Keaton, who checked himself into rehab to wiggle his way out of legal trouble. In rehab, he met Craig, played by Freeman, who changed his life. The movie was widely acclaimed and earned Keaton the 1988 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor. Keaton is excited to reunite with Freeman on this upcoming project. “When I first read it, I thought, this is really good — and there’s more here for Morgan and me to mine together,” the actor and director shared in a press release. “Once we talked, it became clear we were on the same page. Just as The Shawshank Redemption isn’t simply a prison movie, Rode to Ruin isn’t simply a Western. It’s a story with a lot of layers that happens to unfold in the West,” he added.
R. Dean McCreary, who penned the script, believes the actor duo is the dream team needed to make the movie successful. “Rode to Ruin is a deeply human story about forgiveness, revenge, redemption and the choices people make when time is running out. The prospect of Michael directing and sharing the screen with Morgan is everything we hoped this film could become,” he shared. Freeman is no newbie to the Western genre, having previously worked in 'Unforgiven' and currently starring in Taylor Sheridan’s 'Lioness.'
This will be Keaton's third directorial venture after 'Knox Goes Away' and 'The Merry Gentleman.' No other cast members have been announced to date. The A-listers will serve as the movie's producers along with Lori McCreary, Kelly Mendelsohn, and Gary Lucchesi. The movie seems to be in the pre-production stage, and more updates will arrive as it inches closer to filming.
