On the heels of Matthew McConaughey (“True Detective”) leading the new “Yellowstone” spinoff series, the actor is finally making a return to movies with “The Rivals of Amaziah King” which has been shooting in Alabama. He’s getting quite the interesting co-star as the Alabama-based outlet AL has revealed that veteran actor Kurt Russell has joined the crime thriller he was spotted on the set this week in Marshall County and posted a handful of photos of Russell.

Details are scarce about the project but it hails from filmmaker Andrew Patterson (“The Vast of Night”) and Variety had previously described it as a “deeply atmospheric, character-focused crime thriller set against the unique backdrop of remote Oklahoma.” While there is a heap of industry work stoppage due to the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strike, “Rivals” (from Black Bear Productions) is said to be exempt from the strike because it’s an indie film.

McConaughey hasn’t done a live-action film role since Guy Ritchie’s 2019 British gangster-comedy “The Gentlemen.” The “Yellowstone” spinoff came about after main star Kevin Costner decided to exit the mothership series, which was “disappointing” to show creator Taylor Sheridan.

Russell’s recent run of theatrical film projects includes brief appearances in “F9: The Fast Saga” and “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.” A neat little factoid is that his son and fellow actor Wyatt Russell played hockey at the University of Alabama in Huntsville as he aimed to become a professional before a career-ending injury. After that Wyatt pivoted to acting in things like “22 Jump Street” and “Black Mirror.” The pair will be seen together in the Monsterverse series at Apple TV+ called “Godzilla & The Titans.”

SOURCE: AL