Kurt Russell Broke Career Rule For New Crime Thriller With Major The Godfather Comparison

Kurt Russell made sure to clear his schedule for a new Godfather-like crime thriller.

Russell has starred in many movies, ranging from the underdog story Miracle (2004) and the iconic horror movie The Thing (1982) to arguably his best role in Tombstone (1993). Earlier this year, he starred alongside Michelle Pfeiffer in Taylor Sheridan's Paramount series, The Madison, and is expected to return as Clyburn Preston in season 2. However, before that, the veteran actor has lined up a crime thriller, The Rivals of Amziah King.

In an interview with ScreenRant's Liam Crowley, director and writer Andrew Patterson discusses Russell's casting process in his new crime thriller, saying, "Kurt just read the script and wanted to get on a Zoom. And Kurt's got personality, and he'll come at you." On their Zoom call, Russell said, "Andrew, I don't work in the summer, but I've heard you're going places. And I haven't seen a character emerge out of a script as much as Kateri does since Michael Corleone in The Godfather."

Patterson went on to say that Russell was "very complimentary. He had some ideas about his character, which we sparred about a little bit. And then he came out and just became the role of Dob, basically playing the person preying on the community. The person with the perfect smile. But he was basically the guy that I needed for that role."

Although the actor says he doesn't work in the summers, it's more of a goal rather than a binding contract. Throughout his six-decade career, he certainly has worked in the summer. For example, Tombstone was filmed in Arizona largely over the summer of 1993. Russell's scheduling condition is more in line with his preferred lifestyle choices since he dedicates those summer months to family time and vacations.

Similarly, he worked on Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) during the summer, which took place from June to November 2018. In the drama, Russell had two roles in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: Randy Miller and the movie's narrator.

Russell compares Kateri to Michael Corleone in The Godfather, as both share outsider backgrounds. Michael Corleone originally wanted nothing to do with the family business, and Kateri (Angelina LookingGlass) reunites with her foster parent, Amziah King (Matthew McConaughey). The Godfather explores power struggles and clashes between NYC mafia families, and The Rivals of Amziah King explores local crime as Amziah's honey gets stolen, and he tries to figure out who is responsible.

The Rivals of Amziah King debuted last year at the 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival, with ScreenRant's Mae Abdulbaki describing it as "delightful and moving" and "an overall beautiful film that earns its ending." The Rivals of Amziah King has a 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Besides Russell as Dob McCoy, the film features McConaughey as the lead character, Angelina LookingGlass — who is making her feature film debut — Rob Morgan, Tony Revolori, Cole Sprouse, Jake Horowitz, Catherine Dyer, and Sharon Blackwood.

The Rivals of Amziah King is set to release in theaters on August 14, 2026.