Alan Ritchson’s Silent Action Film Motor City Locks U.S. Distribution, Revving Up For Release Next Year

Alan Ritchson has a mostly wordless revenge movie in the can, and it just found a U.S. home. RLJE Films snagged Motor City and plans to put it in theaters in 2026. The price tag for the rights is reportedly around $3–4 million, which is notable because the movie itself cost about $30 million to make — easily the biggest release RLJE has taken on.

"The action is ferocious, with an especially good mano-a-mano fight between Ritchson and co-star Pablo Schreiber (who plays a crooked cop) serving as the action highlight... While the idea of a dialogue-free action movie might not be everyone's cup of tea, I found myself riveted by the craft demonstrated by Ponciroli. Given Ritchson's rising fame, this could be a movie people talk about for years."

What kind of movie are we talking about?

Motor City is an action film that leans hard on visual storytelling — think long stretches with little to no dialogue — and a lot of stylized, precision-crafted fight choreography. Potsy Ponciroli directs. If that name rings a bell, he made Old Henry, co-wrote and directed Super Zeroes, directed the crime comedy Greedy People, and created the CMT series Still the King. He's also the guy hired to write that long-discussed Goonies sequel.

The long road to the screen

The script is by Chad St. John and once lived on the Black List. It actually started life at Warner Bros more than a decade ago and cycled through different stars and directors along the way. Even after shifting to an indie production, it kept a bigger-than-usual scope and scale. One description floating around calls it part graphic novel, part noir, part John Wick meets disco — which is a wild combo, but you get the idea.

Who's in it and what's the story?

Ritchson plays John Miller, a Detroit man newly out of prison who goes scorched-earth on the people who set him up. Shailene Woodley, Ben Foster, and Pablo Schreiber co-star; Schreiber plays a corrupt cop, and apparently he and Ritchson throw down in a standout brawl. The whole thing is designed to be immersive and kinetic, with the movie doing the talking through camera moves and bone-crunching set pieces.

Release plan and why this is interesting

RLJE Films — the genre label under the IFC Entertainment Group umbrella — picked up U.S. rights and is committing to a 2026 release. There isn't a specific date yet. For RLJE, taking out a $30 million, dialogue-light action movie is a swing, and I'm curious to see how they roll it out. A mostly wordless indie at that scale is not a typical play.

• U.S. distributor: RLJE Films (IFC Entertainment Group)
• Rights deal: About $3–4 million
• Budget: Around $30 million
• Release window: 2026 (exact date TBA)
• Director: Potsy Ponciroli; Writer: Chad St. John (Black List)
• Cast: Alan Ritchson, Shailene Woodley, Ben Foster, Pablo Schreiber
• Premise: Ex-con unleashes revenge on the people who framed him, Detroit-set
• Vibe: Minimal dialogue, high-style action; think graphic-novel noir with a pulpy streak