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.^[2]

The Rivals of Amziah King
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Directed by	Andrew Patterson
Written by	Andrew Patterson
Produced by	Andrew Patterson David Heyman Teddy Schwarzman Michael Heimler Jeffrey Clifford Will Greenfield
Starring	Matthew McConaughey Angelina LookingGlass Kurt Russell Cole Sprouse Owen Teague Scott Shepherd Rob Morgan Tony Revolori
Cinematography	M.I. Littin-Menz
Edited by	Patrick J. Smith
Music by	Erick Alexander Jared Bulmer
Production companies	Black Bear Pictures Heyday Films
Distributed by	Black Bear Pictures
Release date	March 10, 2025 (2025-03-10) (SXSW)
Running time	130 minutes[1]
Countries	United States United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	$500,000

It had its world premiere at the 2025 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival on March 10, 2025 and will be released theatrically in the United States by Black Bear Pictures, as the first release from its newly-formed U.S. distribution division.^[3]

Synopsis

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

• Matthew McConaughey as Amziah King^[4]
• Angelina LookingGlass as Kateri^[5]
• Kurt Russell^[6][7]
• Cole Sprouse^[5]
• Owen Teague^[5]
• Scott Shepherd^[5]
• Rob Morgan^[5]
• Tony Revolori^[5]
• Jake Horowitz^[5]
• Catherine Dyer as Mrs. McCurdy
• Jason Davis as Winton
• Sandra Ellis Lafferty as Brenda
• Harris Stone as Ross Crown
• Bruce Davis as Sunderland
• Derrick Goodman Jr. as Potluck Dinner Attendee
• Sharon Blackwood as Juanita
• Chip Carriere as Wenyon Amos Stone
• Tony Mareno as OSBI Agent

Production

Andrew Patterson is set to write and direct with funding from Black Bear Pictures and production from Heyday Films. Producers are David Heyman, Teddy Schwarzman, Michael Heimler, Jeffrey Clifford, Will Greenfield and Patterson.^[8]

In July 2023, it was reported that Kurt Russell was cast in the film.^[9][10] The cast also includes Rob Morgan, Scott Shepherd, Cole Sprouse, Owen Teague, Tony Revolori, Jake Horowitz and Angelina LookingGlass.^[11]

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.^[12]

In August 2023, it was announced that filming wrapped in Alabama.^[13][14]

Release

It had its world premiere at the 2025 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival on March 10, 2025.^[15] 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.^[16]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of 29 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.0/10.^[17] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 65 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.^[18]