The first trailer for Dead Man’s Wire has arrived, and it’s every bit as gripping, unsettling, and urgent as the real 1977 hostage crisis that inspired it. Directed by Academy Award–nominated filmmaker Gus Van Sant, the ’70s-set true-crime thriller stars Bill Skarsgård as Tony Kiritsis — a man pushed far past the edge — alongside a powerhouse cast that includes Colman Domingo, Myha’la, Dacre Montgomery, Cary Elwes, and Al Pacino.
The film is set for an Oscar-qualifying run on December 12, followed by a limited release on January 9 and a wide release January 16, 2026.
Based on real events, Dead Man’s Wire revisits the infamous 1977 Indianapolis hostage crisis. On a freezing February morning, Kiritsis — overwhelmed by mortgage debt and convinced he was being pushed off his property — stormed into a mortgage office and took broker Dick Hall (played by Montgomery) hostage. The weapon: a sawed-off shotgun rigged to both men with a “dead man’s wire,” guaranteeing mutual destruction if anyone intervened.
As police, the public, and the media spiraled around the unfolding situation, Kiritsis made one unexpected move: he called into local radio host Fred Temple’s show, played with calm intensity by Colman Domingo. The trailer captures the moment Tony declares he’s “a man that’s fighting for everything he owns,” setting the stage for a story about desperation, spectacle, and a country wrestling with justice and inequality.
The film also features Al Pacino as Dick Hall’s father, whose phone call with his son in the trailer adds another emotional layer — and sparks one of the film’s most gutting standoffs.
The script comes from Austin Kolodney, making his feature writing debut, and the film is produced by Cassian Elwes, Joel David Moore, Tom Culliver, Sam Pressman, Mark Amin, Remi and Noor Alfallah, Andrea Bucko, Matt Murphie, Paula Paizes, and Billy Hines. WME Independent handles worldwide rights.
The film also drops at a moment when Kiritsis’ story is resurfacing in another project: MGM+’s upcoming series American Hostage starring Jon Hamm. Hamm previously voiced reporter Fred Heckman in the popular 2022 podcast based on the same events — a role Domingo takes on in Van Sant’s adaptation.
Meanwhile, distributor Row K Entertainment, a new venture from Media Capital Technologies, is using Dead Man’s Wire as part of its launch slate, alongside projects like Poetic License, Cliffhanger, and Charlie Harper.