Amy Madigan signed for John Sayles' bold Western film
Los Angeles, May 13
Hollywood actress Amy Madigan, who received a lot of positive response to her work in 'Weapons', has been cast in new Western film 'I Passed This Way'. She will be sharing the screen with Chris Cooper in the film.
The 'Weapons' star and 'Adaptation' actor will star opposite each other in 'Passion Fish and Lone Star' director John Sayles' first feature film in over a decade, reports 'Female First UK'.
The production for the movie is set to get underway in the final quarter of 2026. Sayles has penned the screenplay for 'I Passed This Way', which is set in 1898 and focuses on cowboy Ross McEwen, who goes on the run across the New Mexico Territory after impulsively robbing a bank.
He's being chased by lawman Pat Garrett and his young deputy, but McEwen faces a tough choice after hiding out at a remote homestead which has been hit by diphtheria. He finds him having to decide between leaving the family to die but securing his escape to Mexico, or helping them but facing jail time if he's caught.
As per 'Female First UK', the movie is based on Eugene Manlove Rhodes' Paso Por Aqui, which was published as a novella in 1927, but first serialised in the Saturday Evening Post. Sayles, whose film will be shot in the Canary Islands and Almería, Spain, first came across the novella during Donald Trump's first administration.
He told 'Variety' that he turned to the book "when the president and the media forces who conspired to put him in power were appealing to our citizens' worst characteristics, fear, racism, the idea that being a superpower justified any behaviour".
He has also long been a fan of Westerns, particularly their "moral core" as the stories are "often valuing 'justice' over 'law' and presenting their protagonists with tough decisions".
Madigan's casting in the movie comes after she delighted and terrified audiences as the enigmatic Aunt Gladys in last year's horror blockbuster, 'Weapons'. The horror flick, which stars Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich and Benedict Wong, follows a group of strangers whose lives violently intersect after a class of children mysteriously vanish at 2:17am exactly. Madigan's performance as Aunt Gladys was a huge hit with fans, which convinced director Zach Cregger to develop an origin film for the mysterious villain.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Interesting that the movie is being shot in Spain's Canary Islands and Almería—not the actual American West. But I suppose with modern filmmaking, landscapes can be replicated. The story about a bank robber facing a moral choice with a diphtheria-stricken family feels very classic Western. Hope it doesn't get too preachy with the political angle though. Bollywood has taught us that entertainment first, message second! 😅
Amy Madigan is a terrific actress—her role in 'Weapons' was genuinely unsettling. But I'm more intrigued by John Sayles returning to Westerns. The idea of 'justice over law' resonates deeply in India too, where we often debate whether the legal system truly delivers justice. Pat Garrett and a young deputy chasing a cowboy—reminds me of our own dacoit stories from Rajasthan. Looking forward to this! 👏
Sayles referencing Trump's first administration as inspiration is a bit heavy-handed, but his films always have that political edge. The moral core of Westerns is what makes them timeless—like our own 'Sholay' or 'Lagaan', where characters face impossible choices. Chris Cooper and Amy Madigan are both excellent actors. Should be a thoughtful film, not just action. 👍
Diphtheria in a Western—haven't seen that disease used much in films. It's so rare now thanks to vaccines, but in 1898 it must have been devastating. The cowboy's dilemma of choosing freedom versus humanity is universal. I just hope the film doesn't whitewash the treatment of Native Americans or Mexican characters, which many Westerns do. Sayles seems thoughtful, so fingers crossed! 🤞
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