Fallout’s Walton Goggins Teams Up With Prey Star in a James Cameron-Backed Action Thriller
Walton Goggins and Amber Midthunder team up to headline a new action movie from John Wick creator Derek Kolstad — locked, loaded, and ready to hit hard.
Walton Goggins just signed on for dad duty opposite Amber Midthunder in an action thriller called 'Painter' — a clean, high-concept father-daughter rescue movie that quietly picked up some heavy hitters behind the camera. This one came together fast, and there are a couple of interesting wrinkles worth flagging.
So, what is 'Painter'?
"a young woman, trained from a young age, who must employ every skill in her arsenal to rescue her father after he is kidnapped"
That is the official setup, via THR. In plain English: Midthunder plays the daughter with a particular set of skills, Goggins is the father who gets snatched, and the movie is the run-and-gun mission to bring him home.
The players and the plan
- Stars: Amber Midthunder as the daughter; Walton Goggins as her kidnapped father
- Swap alert: Goggins steps in for Alan Ritchson, who left due to scheduling conflicts
- Director: Garrett Warren, longtime stunt coordinator on 'Avatar' — this is his feature directorial debut
- Writer: Derek Kolstad, who created 'John Wick'
- Exec producer: James Cameron, now aboard after 20th Century Studios acquired the film
- Status: No release date yet
Yes, that James Cameron. Him coming on as an EP after 20th Century picked it up gives this first-time feature director a pretty loud vote of confidence — and likely a bit of extra muscle in post.
Where you will see them before 'Painter'
Goggins is back as the Ghoul in 'Fallout' season 2, hitting Prime Video on December 17. If you missed him this year, he also popped up in 'The White Lotus' season 3 and starred in 'The Uninvited,' directed by his wife, Nadia Conners.
Midthunder, still best known for carrying 'Prey' as Naru, is headed to Amazon next to play gym teacher Miss Desjardin in Mike Flanagan's new 'Carrie' series. She joins Matthew Lillard, Kate Siegel, Katee Sackhoff, and Rahul Kohli.
The takeaway
On paper, 'Painter' is a tight, straightforward rescue thriller with a killer combo: Midthunder in full-on action mode, Goggins bringing grit and charisma, a stunt-pro director finally calling the shots, and a script from the guy who started 'John Wick.' Toss in Cameron as EP after a 20th Century pickup, and this just jumped a few spots on the watch list. Clock is ticking on that release date.