For Austin Butler’s next act, he takes on the role of a rough-and-tumble, leather-clad, no-nonsense motorcyclist in Jeff Nichols’s new film, The Bikeriders. Which is to say: We’re in. Butler plays Benny in the movie, which is narrated by Jodie Comer, who costars as his wife, Kathy. It tells the story of the Vandals motorcycle club (a fictionalized version of one of the Outlaws groups founded in the sixties). As Benny becomes an integral member of the crew, he’s forced to choose between his loyalty to the organization and his marriage.
The Bikeriders premiered in theaters on June 21 and has earned overwhelmingly positive reviews from fans and critics alike. Along with Comer, Butler stars opposite Tom Hardy, Mike Faist, and Michael Shannon. Together, they dive into the golden age of motorcycling, when misfits find community, brotherhood, and a really sick uniform…until it all goes to shit.
The story is loosely based on Danny Lyon’s photography book of the same name. And if you’re hoping to see the tale play out on the big screen, you still have plenty of time to do so. Given that the film just premiered, it will remain in theaters for the foreseeable future. As for a streaming date? It will come—but not for at least another month. Patience is key, people! What we do know is that The Bikeriders will eventually land on Peacock.
And honestly, what’s better than a trip to the movies during the summer? That’s what Butler would want, anyway. The thirty-two-year-old actor hinted in his cover story with Esquire that after his epic miniseries Masters of the Air, he’s straying from TV roles for now to focus on his theatrical career. “I’m more drawn to film and theater,” he said. Fine by me. If that means we’ll see more of Butler’s acting skills on a fifty-foot screen, then who am I to disagree? My only request is for his next role to have more lines. In Dune: Part Two, his character, Feyd Rautha, took “silent but deadly” to a whole other level.
