The Rivals of Amziah King

The Rivals of Amziah King

The Rivals of Amziah King is a 2025 crime thriller film written and directed by Andrew Patterson and produced by Black Bear Pictures and Heyday Films.

It had its world premiere at the 2025 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival on March 10, 2025, and will have a limited release on August 14, 2026, before going wide in the United States by Black Bear Pictures on August 21, 2026.

Synopsis

The Rivals of Amziah King

Kateri's life takes a tragic turn as she loses her mother and leaves foster care. Reuniting with her former foster parent, Amziah, changes everything: he becomes her mentor, revealing hidden skills when a devastating situation arises. Kateri relies on her newfound strength to seek justice.

Cast

The Rivals of Amziah King

• Matthew McConaughey as Amziah King • Angelina LookingGlass as Kateri • Kurt Russell • Cole Sprouse as Oat • Owen Teague • Scott Shepherd • Rob Morgan • Tony Revolori • Jake Horowitz • Catherine Dyer as Mrs. McCurdy • Jason Davis as Winton • Sandra Ellis Lafferty as Brenda • Harris Stone as Ross Crown • Bruce Davis as Sunderland • Sharon Blackwood as Juanita • Chip Carriere as Wenyon Amos Stone

Production

The Rivals of Amziah King

Andrew Patterson wrote and directed the film with Black Bear Pictures financing the film and Heyday Films serving as a production company. Producers are David Heyman, Teddy Schwarzman, Michael Heimler, Jeffrey Clifford, Will Greenfield and Patterson.

In July 2023, it was reported that Kurt Russell was cast in the film. The cast also includes Rob Morgan, Scott Shepherd, Cole Sprouse, Owen Teague, Tony Revolori, Jake Horowitz and Angelina LookingGlass.

Filming occurred in Alabama during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike in which SAG-AFTRA granted the filmmakers an interim agreement to allow principal photography to occur during the strike.

In August 2023, it was announced that filming wrapped in Alabama.

Release

The Rivals of Amziah King

It had its world premiere at the 2025 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival on March 10, 2025. In August 2025, Black Bear Pictures announced that they would release the film themselves theatrically through their new U.S. distribution division, with a release date to be announced. The film is scheduled to be released limited theaters on August 14, before going wide in the United States on August 21, 2026.

Reception

The Rivals of Amziah King

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of 31 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.0/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 65 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.