The Jonathan Majors comeback trail begins now, and, to the surprise of no one, it’s outside the studio system.
THR (via Deadline) reports that the actor will star in an action movie produced by Ben Shapiro‘s Daily Wire. “Run Hide Fight” director Kyle Rankin helms the film, shooting in South Carolina now, with a premise similar to “Red Dawn” and “Toy Soldiers.” Other producers include Dallas Sonnier via Bonfire Legend, with Travis Mills, Lillian Campbell, and Sydney Aucreman. It’s worth noting both Daily Wire and Bonfire Legend backed “Run Hide Fight,” Rankin’s school shooting film from 2020, starring Isabel May and Thomas Jane, that had its world premiere on the Lido at Venice.
Rankin’s latest will be Majors’ first major role since his 2023 conviction for assault and harassment; he did land a lead role in the indie project “Merciless,” directed by Martin Villeneuve, but that looks like it’s stuck in development hell. Notice that neither of these projects is a studio production. That means Majors remains persona non grata in Hollywood following the 2023 incident with his former partner, Grace Jabbari.
The fallout for Majors after his conviction was swift. Marvel fired him from his role as Kang The Conquerer after he was found guilty in the assault case. Then “Magazine Dreams,” the Sundance 2023 favorite starring Majors (and a role that would have secured his ascendance to the A-List), had its theatrical release delayed after Searchlight dropped the film; Briarcliff Entertainment quietly released it in early 2025. Majors also lost the buzzy lead role of Dennis Rodman in the Lionsgate project “48 Hours In Vegas” in the guilty verdict fallout, with LaKeith Stanfield now in the part.
Despite all this, Majors remains determined to return to the big screen, but teaming up with Ben Shapiro and Daily Wire may not win him many allies. Shapiro endorsed Rankin casting Major on social media yesterday, teasing, “You’re not going to BELIEVE what we’re doing.” But then it’s glaringly obvious what Majors is doing: leveraging the only available channels he has left to reclaim his stardom, a goal that may prove impossible. Major nonetheless expressed hope last year that he might return to the MCU and reprise his role as Kang. “Yeah, of course, I say yes. Disney, Marvel Studios, I love them,” Majors said about the possibility. “I love the industry so much, and now I’m in the place where I can feel the love from them and actually express my love for them.”
As of now, it doesn’t look like Disney and Marvel, or any Hollywood studio, loves Majors back, but maybe Rankin’s actioner will help the actor’s case. But if this writer were Majors, I wouldn’t hold my breath.
