For two decades now, Jensen Ackles has had a regular presence on TV thanks to TV shows like Dark Angel, Dawson’s Creek, Smallville and Supernatural. Movies-wise though, excluding voiceover work on direct-to-video animated DC movies, he hasn’t had a starring role in a cinematic project since 2009’s My Bloody Valentine 3D. Well, that will soon change, as it’s been announced that Ackles is starring opposite 30 Rock’s Alec Baldwin in a Western.
This upcoming movie, titled Rust, sees Alec Baldwin playing an outlaw named Harland Rust, who’s had a bounty on his head for as long as he can remember. After his estranged grandson 13-year-old grandson Lucas, played by Good Boys’ Brady Noon, is sentenced to death after being convicted of an accidental murder, Harland travels to Kansas to break him out of custody. From there, the fugitives have to flee from Jensen Ackles’ U.S. Marshal Wood Helm and a bounty hunter named Fenton “Preacher” Lang, played by Vikings’ Travis Fimmel. As grandfather and grandson evade their pursuers across the American Frontier, secrets will come to light and an unexpected family bond will be formed.
Along with the aforementioned actors, Deadline report that Rust also stars the Watchmen TV series’ Frances Fisher, while Joel Souza is writing and directing. In addition to his onscreen work, Alec Baldwin also hashed out Rust’s story with Souza and is producing through his El Dorado Pictures production company. The project hasn’t been set up at a studio yet, but CAA Media Finance will handle its domestic sale and Highland Film Group will handle the international sale.
Following My Bloody Valentine 3D, Jensen Ackles’ only live-action film appearance between then and the upcoming Rust was a cameo in 2019’s Buddy Games. However, as noted earlier, he’s also been contributing to the DC Comics media landscape. In 2010, Ackles voiced Jason Todd/Red Hood in Batman: Under the Red Hood, and now he can be heard voicing Bruce Wayne/Batman in the recently-released two-part adaptation of Batman: The Long Halloween. With Rust on the docket, maybe that will pave the way for Ackles to do more movies.
As far as Jensen Ackles’ TV work goes, last year, he finished his 15-season run as Dean Winchester in Supernatural opposite Jared Padalecki’s Sam Winchester. But Ackles isn’t done in the Supernatural world yet, as he’s signed on to narrate a prequel series called The Winchesters that’s centered on Sam and Dean’s parents, John and Mary. Ackles will also executive produce this potential series with his wife Danneel Ackles and Supernatural writer Robbie Thompson.
Jensen Ackles will also debut as Soldier Boy in The Boys Season 3, which wrapped filming last month, but doesn’t have a premiere date set on Amazon Prime Video yet. Keep checking back for more updates on Ackles’ professional endeavors, and learn what movies are arriving in the near future with our 2021 release schedule and 2022 release schedule.
