Armie Hammer's 'Citizen Vigilante' Nabs First International Deal Ahead of AFM
If you've been wondering whether an Armie Hammer comeback is actually happening, here's your first real sign. Citizen Vigilante, an indie action thriller from Uwe Boll, has locked its first international sale.
New distributor Free Wind picked up the film for German-speaking Europe ahead of the American Film Market. Kinostar is handling sales and says several U.S. buyers are circling, with offers on the table.
"We're very happy about the great demand for Armie Hammer in Citizen Vigilante," Boll said in a statement. "In difficult times for the movie business it is very encouraging to see that with the right story and the right star independent movies can still work." You can feel what he's aiming for here: a clean, commercial hook and a name that still moves the needle.
The film
Hammer plays Sanders, a vigilante who takes justice into his own hands. He's a media darling to some, but Interpol chief Henry - played by Saw V actor Costas Mandylor - sees a threat and wants him stopped. Yes, that's Interpol the agency, the real one you can read about at interpol.int.
The production shot in Croatia in January. The project was originally titled The Dark Knight, but the name change avoids obvious confusion with Warner Bros.' Batman franchise.
The dealmakers
Free Wind is the new outfit from veteran exec Benjamin Krause, who previously ran indie distributors KSM and Dolphin Medien. "We are very happy to continue our long collaboration with Uwe with Citizen Vigilante," Krause said, noting their work together on Boll's Max Schmeling back in 2010.
Where this leaves Hammer
Citizen Vigilante is one of several modestly budgeted indies Hammer lined up as he tries to restart his career after sexual misconduct allegations derailed it in 2021. He was dropped by WME and publicly ostracized after multiple former partners accused him of sexual assault and other disturbing behavior. Hammer has denied the allegations, and Los Angeles prosecutors in 2023 declined to charge him with any crime.
He's also got two more features in the pipeline, both in post: the period western Frontier Crucible (from director Travis Mills and Bone Tomahawk producer Dallas Sonnier) and the neo-noir Night Driver from John Bevilacqua. As Hammer put it earlier this year, he's fine rebuilding: he doesn't need big studio movies right now; smaller, fun films are enough.
And Boll's not slowing down
Boll returned to directing last year with the crime drama First Shift and has been moving fast since. His refugee drama Run - starring Amanda Plummer, James Russo, Ulrich Thomsen, and Barkhad Abdi - rolls out worldwide Nov. 14, with two First Shift follow-ups, First Shift: Vengeance and First Shift: Redemption, in post.
Here's what this could mean: an early territory sale suggests buyers see a path for a Hammer-led indie, at least overseas. If a U.S. deal lands during AFM, we'll get a clearer picture of how far that interest goes - and whether audiences are ready to watch him on the big screen again.
