Austin Butler and Tom Hardy Amp Up the Machismo in New ‘Bikeriders’ Trailer as Focus Relaunches the Motorcycle Movie’s Marketing Campaign
29.02.2024 - 17:37
/ variety.com
Angelique Jackson It’s not every day you see a studio head riding a Harley. But that’s precisely where you could find Focus Features’ chairman Peter Kujawski on Wednesday night in Downtown Los Angeles at the trailer re-launch for “The Bikeriders.” Technically, Kujawski was revving the engine of the Harley-Davidson Jumpstart, a ride simulator.
But Focus is doing the real work of reviving the awareness campaign for Jeff Nichols’ period drama about a Midwestern motorcycle club, starring Jodie Comer, Austin Butler and Tom Hardy. After a strong debut at the 2023 Telluride Film Festival, the film was poised to make a splash during this year’s Oscar season.
But last December, Focus swooped in to acquire the rights for “The Bikeriders” after Disney’s 20th Century Studios removed it from its release schedule amid the SAG-AFTRA strike and New Regency decided to shop the picture elsewhere. Now, with a June 21 theatrical release date fast approaching, it’s up to Focus to create a new awareness campaign for the film — and the studio has decided to lean into the alluring machismo of motorcycle culture in a new trailer.
In pursuit of a broader appeal, Focus’ trailer skews slightly more masculine than the first footage, which told the Vandals’ story from the perspective of Kathy (Jodie Comer) as she grappled with her brooding husband Benny’s (Austin Butler) involvement in the group. The two-and-a-half minute clip is driven by Tom Hardy’s Johnny, the tough guy founder of the biker gang, and establishes how the Vandals rose to prominence.
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