First Trailer Drops for Louisville-Filmed True Crime Thriller ‘Dead Man’s Wire’

From May 20th through October 9th of 1998, film crews descended upon Louisville to shoot a movie that would collect seven Oscar nominations at the 2000 Academy Awards. The 1999 release of The Insider, about Big Tobacco whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand, ultimately came up empty-handed. But it did become the most nominated film ever shot in Derby City.

Movies Shot in Louisville

In 2022 and 2023, actor-director Ethan Hawke shot his movie about author Flannery O'Connor in select Louisville neighborhoods. The based-on-a-true-story theme continued in January of this year when Oscar-nominated director and Louisville native Gus Van Sant came home to film Dead Man's Wire, the true story of Indianapolis resident Tony Kiritsis, a man who, after being denied additional time to pay his mortgage, kidnapped his broker, Richard Hall. The wire in the film's title was used to attach the muzzle of a sawed-off shotgun to the back of Hall's head. It also connected the trigger to the broker's neck, which meant that if the police shot Kiritsis, the gun would go off and kill Hall.

Dead Man's Wire

The thriller stars Bill Skarsgård (It, Nosferatu) as Tony Kiritsis and Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things, Power Rangers) as Richard Hall. Dead Man's Wire also stars two-time Oscar nominee Colman Domingo (Rustin, Sing Sing) and Oscar-winning icon Al Pacino (The Godfather movies, Scent of a Woman). Here's a look at the first trailer.

Dead Man's Wire brought Pacino back to Louisville; he played 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman in The Insider.

Having already had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September, Dead Man's Wire will be released in a limited capacity on January 9th, 2026, with a wide release set for January 16th.