Following its world premiere at Telluride, Jeff Nichols’ The Bikeriders looked like a surefire awards contender this season. But delays due to the SAG-AFTRA strike and a change in distributor from Disney’s 20th Century Studios to Focus Features, led to a delay until next summer. Still, Nichols’ motorcycle club drama is one of the most anticipated movies of 2024, and the latest trailer does nothing to change that.
The star-studded cast is led by Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, and Tom Hardy. Set in the 1960s, the film centers on the rise of a fictional Chicago motorcyle club, captured by the lens of a magazine photographer. The story is based on the real-life activities of journalist Danny Lyon, played by Mike Raist in the film, who traveled with and captured the lifestyle of outlaw bikers in the Midwest.
Also in the cast Michael Shannon, Norman Reedus, Boyd Holbrook, Damon Herriman, Emory Cohen, Beau Knapp, and Toby Wallace.
Here’s the synopsis: The Bikeriders” is a furious drama following the rise of a fictional 1960s Midwestern motorcycle club through the lives of its members. Inspired by Danny Lyon’s iconic book of photography, “The Bikeriders” immerses you in the look, feel, and sounds of the bare-knuckled, grease-covered subculture of ’60s motorcycle riders. Kathy (Comer), a strong-willed member of the Vandals who’s married to a wild, reckless bikerider named Benny (Butler), recounts the Vandals’ evolution over the course of a decade, beginning as a local club of outsiders united by good times, rumbling bikes, and respect for their strong, steady leader Johnny (Hardy). Over the years, Kathy tries her best to navigate her husband’s untamed nature and his allegiance to Johnny, with whom she feels she must compete for Benny’s attention. As life in the Vandals gets more dangerous, and the club threatens to become a more sinister gang, Kathy, Benny, and Johnny are forced to make choices about their loyalty to the club and to each other.
The Bikeriders opens in theaters on June 21st 2024.