Green River Killer: David Arquette and Nick Stahl Headline a Gritty New True-Crime Thriller
Fresh off the set, Green River Killer pairs David Arquette and Nick Stahl for a nerve-rattling plunge into a notorious serial-murder case.
Another week, another true-crime thriller. This one is called 'Green River Killer', it just wrapped in Washington and Idaho, and it puts David Arquette and Nick Stahl on the trail of Gary Ridgway in the early 80s Pacific Northwest. If your eyebrow went up at that title, yeah — it is about that case.
The setup
The movie follows two detectives, played by Arquette and Stahl, as they get pulled deeper into a case that ends up defining their careers and messing with their lives. They are hunting a predator who blends in so well he could be anyone you pass on the street. As the chase drags on, the difference between doing the job and becoming consumed by it starts to blur, and the movie is clearly interested in the toll that takes.
Who is involved
- Director: Johnny J. Tabor ('Winter: Battleground')
- Writer: Timothy Michael Hayes ('Mary')
- Leads: David Arquette ('Scream') and Nick Stahl ('Disturbing Behavior') as the two detectives
- Also starring: Vincent Kartheiser ('Mad Men'), Rainey Qualley ('Shut In'), Julie Ann Emery ('Better Call Saul'), Robert Belushi ('According to Jim'), Kevin Makely ('Any Bullet Will Do'), Lew Temple ('The Third Saturday in October'), and Costas Mandylor ('Saw VI')
- And yes: Mitchell Bourke shows up as Ted Bundy. To avoid confusion — Bundy is not the Green River Killer; he is a separate figure who appears in the story.
- Production status: Filming is complete; shot on location in Washington and Idaho
About the real case
Gary Leon Ridgway was nicknamed the Green River Killer and was convicted of murdering 49 women between 1982 and 1998. When he was arrested in 2001, he was believed to be the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history at the time. Most of his victims were sex workers or women in vulnerable situations. So yeah, this is heavy material.
"What drew me to this story was how long it haunted those who lived it. For twenty years, investigators carried the weight of a case that seemed endless, refusing to let it be forgotten. Working with the production team from Macova Media gave me the opportunity to tell this story not to glorify a killer, but to honor the men and women who never gave up and to bring justice to those who no longer had a voice. I was lucky enough to be graced with an incredible cast ensemble who gave everything to bring that truth to life."
- Johnny J. Tabor, director
That last part is worth underlining. There are a lot of serial killer projects out there, and not all of them handle the subject with care. This one is banking on the human cost — the investigators, the victims, the fallout — rather than mythologizing the murderer. Also, the inclusion of Bundy is a bold swing that suggests the movie is leaning into the broader climate of fear around that era, not just the case file bullet points.