Taron Egerton’s new Apple TV+ series, Smoke, just debuted its first batch of episodes last week, but another upcoming project from the star just got an exciting new look. Collider is thrilled to partner with Lionsgate to exclusively reveal the first official trailer for She Rides Shotgun – a thriller following Nate (Egerton), an ex-con marked for death, who must protect his estranged daughter. The dangerous reunion sets them on a path of loyalty, strength, redemption, and love, as each reminds the other and learn what it means to unconditionally love someone.
Collider also had the chance to ask director Nick Rowland a few questions, including what drew him to casting Taron Egerton to the role of Nate:
“Taron was our top choice because he has that rare ability to embody danger and tenderness in the same breath. We needed someone who could feel genuinely threatening, but also break your heart, and Taron walks that line beautifully. From our earliest conversations, he connected deeply with the material and brought a fierce emotional intelligence to the role. He never played Nate as the ‘cool antihero.’ He played him as a wounded man trying to do one good thing in his life, and that gave the film its soul. That balance was essential for Nate. We needed someone who could wear the scars of a violent past and still let light in through the cracks. His performance is raw, soulful, and stripped of vanity.”
He also described the bond between father and son at the heart of the movie as “urgent” and “fragile,” highlighting how both are forced to rely on the other to survive. He previews a bit of what fans can expect to see from their relationship, mentioning how Nate’s daughter “doesn’t just soften” him, she “challenges him.” He assures that their journey is the “emotional spine of the story” and teases Egerton’s “powerful” performance.
Fans of the ‘She Rides Shotgun’ Book Will Be Pleased With the Film
She Rides Shotgun is based on the novel of the same name by Jordan Harper, which holds a strong four-star rating on Goodreads from over 8,000 reviews. While adapting novels can add an extra layer of pressure when it comes to pleasing fans of the book, it also presents an opportunity to add to something beautiful. We also asked Rowland what he would tell fans of the novel about his adaptation, and he promised that fans will “recognize the emotional truth of the story” even through the changes that have been made:
“For fans of the novel, I think they’ll recognize the spirit of the book– the dark poetry of it, the urgency, the intimacy. We’ve made some changes, of course, to bring the story to life in a cinematic way, but we’ve tried to stay true to its emotional truth. At its core, it’s still about Polly and Nate. How love, even when it’s late and imperfect, can still matter. Still save you. Beneath the hard edges and violent momentum, there was always something deeply tender and almost mythic. It felt like an adult fairytale disguised as a crime story: a girl and her outlaw father on the run, moving through a world that wants to swallow them whole… For fans of the novel, I think they’ll recognize the emotional truth of the story. We’ve made some changes to suit the medium, but the heart remains the same. It’s still Polly and Nate’s story- but told with a particular attention to how she sees him, how she shapes him, and how, ultimately, she saves him.”
Closing out the interview, we had the chance to ask Rowland about Cosmo Jarvis, with whom he worked in 2019 on Calm with Horses. Jarvis exploded to new levels of popularity last year thanks to his role in Shōgun, and after recently starring in A24’s Warfare, he’s also been tapped for a role in Christopher Nolan’s next movie, The Odyssey. Rowland admitted that no one can ever “fully predict a moment like the one Cosmo is having now,” but he admits he “always knew he was special.” he also spoke about Jarvis’ “deep sensitivity and instinctive understanding” of his character in Calm with Horses. He wrapped things up by affirming how “proud” he is of his former star, and how “excited” he is to see where he goes next — aren’t we all?
She Rides Shotgun will be released later this year. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of the film, and check out the exclusive trailer above and the new poster below.
