In the thrilling indie film currently in production in North Carolina, Widow has woven a cast of characters that promises to captivate audiences. Led by the fearless Abigail Cowen (Fate: The Winx Saga, The Ritual, Redeeming Love), who embodies a mother on the run with her infant, the ensemble includes Jackie Earle Haley, who received an Oscar nomination for his role in Little Children and starred in Zack Snyder's Watchmen, as well as Lou Diamond Phillips, whose career spans from starring as Ritchie Valens in La Bamba to his recent cult comedy role in HBO's The Chair Company.
Rounding out the cast are Jason Schmidt (The Outsiders on Broadway), Nadine Velazquez (Flight, My Name Is Earl), Jose Pablo Cantillo (Elysium, Mayor of Kingstown), Rob Morgan (Stranger Things, Mudbound), Joseph Lucero (Mayans MC), and PJ Sosko (The Blacklist).
"A young mother, desperate and on the run with her infant son, races across empty highways and forgotten truck stops, pursued by ruthless cartel enforcers and relentless federal agents," teases the logline. "But in the shadows between predator and prey, something far more terrifying is stirring—and nothing in this story is what it seems."
Directed by Don Handfield, who adapted the upcoming AMP Comics graphic novel of the same name with writer Joshua Malkin, Widow is a film that challenges your assumptions. "This is a film that uses your expectations as a weapon," Handfield says. "The less you know going in, the more devastating the experience will be."
Produced by Lauren Vilchik through Walker Street Entertainment, Eshan Kamarsu through Tambura Pictures, Handfield through AMP Comics, and Chase McNaughton through Frigate Filmworks, the film promises to shift gears mid-way through in an unexpected way, similar to recent hits like Barbarian and Strange Darling.
"What drew me to Widow is the character at its center," Vilchik explains. "She's a fully dimensional woman fighting for survival, and her choices force the audience into impossible moral territory. That complexity—and ferocity—is rare." Adding to this sentiment, Kamarsu says, "This is a film that people will be talking about—and debating—long after the credits roll."
