Dead Man’s Wire‘s first teaser, which debuted on Monday, gave viewers a preview of the suspenseful hostage drama that was shot in downtown Louisville earlier this year.
The teaser features sequences inside the vacant Courier-Journal building. The film, which was directed by Louisville native Gus Van Sant, revisits one of the most horrifying real-life crimes of the 1970s: the 63-hour hostage siege that Indianapolis resident Anthony “Tony” Kiritsis led.
The all-star cast of Dead Man’s Wire
Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Colman Domingo, Cary Elwes, Myha’la, and Al Pacino are among the cast members. For the first time since 2018, Van Sant—who is best known for Good Will Hunting and Elephant—returns to feature filmmaking, teaming with actor John Robinson.
Filming crews worked around Fifth and Jefferson streets, Metro Hall, and other key locations, transforming downtown Louisville into 1977 Indianapolis. The project was eligible for a potential $3.9 million tax credit under Kentucky’s Entertainment Incentive program.
Dead Man’s Wire dramatizes the morning of Feb. 8, 1977, when Kiritsis entered the office of mortgage company president Richard Hall and wired a sawed-off shotgun to Hall’s neck using a “deadman’s switch” connected to his own body. Kiritsis demanded $5 million, immunity from prosecution, and a personal apology.
See the trailer here:
The true story of Dead Man’s Wire
The standoff lasted 63 hours, drawing national attention as Kiritsis broadcast his grievances on live television before releasing Hall. Kiritsis was acquitted by reason of insanity and eventually released in 1988. He died in 2005.
Scripted by Austin Kolodney and produced by Cassian Elwes, Joel David Moore, Sam Pressman, and others, the film explores the psychological tension of the standoff and the media frenzy surrounding it.
Dead Man’s Wire opens in select theaters Jan. 9, 2026, before expanding nationwide on Jan. 16. Louisville audiences may recognize familiar streets and landmarks in a story that brings a real-life thriller to the big screen.
This article appears in Nov. 1-30, 2025.