Jonathan Majors begins filming his first movie since 2023, and it could signal his Hollywood comeback. Majors, who starred in hits Creed III and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, has reportedly begun filming an untitled action movie in South Carolina this week, marking his first major film role since being dropped from several projects, even a high-profile Army recruitment campaign. The project is being produced by Ben Shapiro’s Daily Wire and Dallas Sonnier’s Bonfire Legend.
The film is directed by Kyle Rankin, who also wrote the screenplay. Rankin previously collaborated with the same production companies on Run Hide Fight, one of The Daily Wire’s earliest feature projects. Plot details are being kept tightly under wraps. Still, the story is described as in the spirit of 1980s and 1990s action films like Red Dawn and Toy Soldiers, in which young protagonists are forced to defend themselves against invading enemies.
Producing alongside Shapiro and Sonnier are Travis Mills, Lillian Campbell and Sydney Aucreman. Executive producers include Caleb Robinson and Mike Richards for The Daily Wire, as well as Majors himself under his Tall Street Productions banner. Cinematographer Kristopher Kimlin, casting director David Guglielmo, production designer Vincent Reynaud and costume designer Emma Fleming round out the key creative team.
No release date has been announced.
The New Project at Daily Wire
The Daily Wire has steadily expanded its entertainment division in recent years, moving beyond political commentary into scripted film and television. Its largest production to date, the fantasy series The Pendragon Cycle, marked a significant step into mainstream genre storytelling.
Majors’ casting fits a pattern. The company has previously worked with actors whose careers stalled amid controversy, including Armie Hammer and Gina Carano. Rather than competing directly with traditional studios, The Daily Wire has positioned itself as an alternative pipeline for talent and projects that might struggle to find backing elsewhere.
The new action film appears designed as a throwback: muscular, high-stakes, and stripped of heavy franchise baggage. For Majors, that simplicity may be strategic. A contained action film allows him to reintroduce himself to audiences without the weight of a billion-dollar franchise attached.
What Happened to Jonathan Majors
Just a few years ago, Majors’ trajectory looked unstoppable.
After breakout acclaim in The Last Black Man in San Francisco and HBO’s Lovecraft Country, he quickly became one of Hollywood’s most in-demand leading men. He headlined Creed III opposite Michael B. Jordan and took on a major role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Industry insiders widely saw him as a long-term franchise anchor.
That momentum halted in 2023, when Majors was found guilty of assaulting his former girlfriend. In the immediate aftermath, he was dropped from multiple projects and lost key studio support. Marvel cut ties. Other film commitments evaporated. Within months, a career that had been ascending at full speed came to a near standstill.
Since then, Majors has kept a lower profile while pursuing new opportunities. He remains attached to star in the supernatural revenge thriller Merciless, announced in 2024. But the Daily Wire project marks his first production to move into active filming since the conviction.
In Hollywood terms, that makes this a true comeback attempt.
What This Could Mean for His Career
The question now is whether this film is a one-off or the beginning of a broader re-entry into mainstream filmmaking. Hollywood has a complicated history with second chances. Some actors rebuild through smaller independent projects before regaining studio trust. Others remain largely outside the system, working with alternative financiers and niche distributors.
The Daily Wire’s involvement complicates the equation. The company’s brand is politically distinct from most major studios, which could limit crossover opportunities. At the same time, if the film performs well commercially or generates strong audience engagement, it may demonstrate that Majors still has drawing power.
There is also the matter of perception. For some viewers, Majors’ conviction will remain disqualifying. For others, especially in an industry where redemption arcs are common, the focus may shift back to performance. His earlier work proved he can command a screen. The open question is whether audiences are willing to separate the art from the controversy.
From a business perspective, independent and ideologically aligned production companies often move faster than legacy studios. If this film succeeds, it could create a lane for Majors outside the traditional Hollywood ecosystem. If it falters, it may reinforce the caution that has defined studio decision-making since 2023.
For now, the optics are clear: cameras are rolling, contracts are signed, and Jonathan Majors is acting again.
