Speaking with The Hollywood Reporterearlier this year, Armie Hammer said it wasn’t necessarily his goal “to get back to the mainstream business—which I think isn’t in a good place anyway.” Instead, he’s “happy just making fun, smaller movies for now,” like his comeback projectFrontier Crucible. Directed by Travis Mills, the low-budget Western sees Hammer slinging guns, wielding a scary-looking blade, and creepily pulling the leg off a spider. The film premieres in theaters and on digital December 5.
Based on Harry Whittington’s novel Desert Stake-Out, Frontier Crucible centers on “a desperately needed wagon full of medical supplies falling victim to an Apache attack,” according to a synopsis (via Variety). “The only man who can guide it through to its destination is Merrick Beckford, but in order to get there, he’ll need to enlist the help of a trio of dangerous outlaws hell-bent on survival. When they accidentally kill an Apache scout, all bets are off, and survival is the name of the game.” In addition to Hammer, the film also stars William H. Macy, Myles Clohessy, Mary Stickley, Eli Brown, Ryan Masson, Zane Holtz, Eddie Spears and Thomas Jane.
Armie Hammer largely retreated from Hollywood in 2021 after being accused of sexual assault and misconduct (which included the infamous cannibal kink revelation). For a time he lived in the Cayman Islands and sold timeshares, but in 2024 he returned to Los Angeles and began working on smaller scale projects like Frontier Crucible or the upcoming Citizen Vigilante. Hammer told THR he has “a lot of offers coming in,” and he’s trying to “just work and have fun and not take anything too seriously.” He added, “Honestly, it’s a lot of fun making smaller films. The pace is faster, the effort is also a team effort. And everyone feels like they are just happy to be working.”
