About The Last Rodeo
Synopsis:
A retired rodeo legend risks it all to save his grandson. Facing his own painful past and the fears of his family, he enters a high-stakes bull-riding competition as the oldest contestant ever. Along the way, he reconciles old wounds with his estranged daughter and proves that true courage is found in the fight for family.
Rated:
PG for thematic elements, language and violence.
Release date:
May 23, 2025
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About the Cast and Filmmakers
Multi talented and award winning actor Neal McDonough has been blessed to have an incredible career in the film industry.
He is now producing films alongside his wife Ruvé for the McDonough company. Films such as THE WARRANT, BREAKERS LAW, REDSTONE, BOON, BLACK SPARTANS ,and most recently the hit film THE SHIFT for Angel Studios.
Soon, they will be going into production on their next western that he has written called THE WICKED AND THE RIGHTEOUS .
McDonough is well known for performances in productions, such as BAND OF BROTHERS, MINORITY REPORT, WALKING TALL and STAR-TREK FIRST CONTACT. He also started in many stage productions, and most recently playing Whitey Bulger on stage in FINDING WHITEY at the Wilbur theater in Boston.
He also recently played Daddy Warbucks in ANNIE and numerous other stage productions as well.
His voice over career is what really started him. The voice of many cartoons, including Bruce Banner in the INCREDIBLE HULK and in many video games such as CALL OF DUTY ZOMBIES.
He has also been the long term voice of FIDELITY AND CADILLAC.
But he's most proud of his relationship with God, his wife, Ruvé, and their five children.
McDonough trained at Syracuse University and studied at LAMDA in London.
Sarah Jones is an American actress, best known for her starring roles as NASA astronaut Tracy Stevens in the Apple TV+ original science fiction space drama series For All Mankind and as Detective Rebecca Madsen in the Fox TV drama series Alcatraz. Jones was born in Winter Springs, Florida, and graduated from Winter Springs High School in 2001. She "grew up dancing" with the expectation that it would become her career, but she turned to acting as "the next best thing" after her dancing ended because of injuries. She had gotten her first break working as a dancer for the MTV Movie Awards.
Perhaps best remembered for his touching performance as "Bubba" opposite Tom Hanks in the Academy Award-winning Forrest Gump, Mykelti Williamson is one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood, who has been steadily honing his craft since he first began acting professionally at the age of 18.
In 2000 Williamson starred as Lt. Philip Gerard, the hardnosed detective determined to recapture escaped convict Dr. Richard Kimble (Tim Daly) in CBS' update of the classic 1960's action series The Fugitive.
The son of an Air Force Staff Sergeant (father) and certified public accountant (mother), Williamson was born in St. Louis, MO, and began performing on the stage at the age of 9. Like many youngsters, he was enamored with the concept of television, and thought that the images he was seeing on the small screen were reality. It wasn't until his mother put him in a church play that he realized that what the people on the small screen were doing was performing. He was instantly hooked. At the age of 15, Williamson and his family settled in Los Angeles. A superb athlete, he excelled at both football and basketball, but the acting bug led him to quit sports and dance with the cheerleading squad, much to the chagrin of his coaches.
Following graduation, Williamson began acting professionally, making appearances on television shows such as Starsky and Hutch, Hill Street Blues and China Beach, among others. He made his film debut in the Walter Hill-directed feature Streets of Fire, opposite Diane Lane, Michael Paré and Willem Dafoe.
He would subsequently appear in the feature The First Power with Lou Diamond Phillips, Miracle Mile with Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham, Number One with a Bullet, Wildcats and Free Willy.
Following his critically acclaimed performance in Forrest Gump, Williamson starred in Forest Whitaker's Waiting to Exhale; partnered with Al Pacino in Michael Mann's Heat; Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home, and starred alongside Nicolas Cage in Con Air.
Williamson was also seen in Mike Nichols' political drama Primary Colors (a cameo appearance which he did as a personal favor to Nichols and John Travolta) and Three Kings, opposite George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube.
In 1996 Williamson returned to television when he starred opposite Delroy Lindo and Blair Underwood in the critically acclaimed HBO telefilm Soul of the Game and received rave reviews for his stirring portrayal of legendary Negro League baseball legend Josh Gibson. Williamson also starred in Buffalo Soldiers for TNT and 12 Angry Men for Showtime, as well as starring in the cable network's series The Hoop Life.
On stage Williamson starred with Samuel L. Jackson, D.B. Sweeney, Ellis Williams, Matt McGrath and Richard Reilly in Clark Gregg's ("What Lies Beneath") 1995's ensemble drama "Distant Fires", which earned the cast a prestigious L.A. Theatre Award.
An avid sports fan and devoted family man, Williamson enjoys restoring classic cars and rodeoing in his free time. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two of his three daughters.
Named by his grandfather for 'Spirit' or 'Silent Friend' in the language of Blackfeet Indians, Mykelti Williamson has quietly built a reputation in Hollywood as one of the most consistently proven actors in the business, delivering stirring and honest performances that always capture audiences.
Christopher McDonald was born and raised in New York City, New York, to Patricia, a real estate agent, and James R. McDonald, an educator. His breakout role was in Ridley Scott's Thelma & Louise, followed shortly by his role as Jack Barry in Robert Redford's Quiz Show. Other notable performances include Into Thin Air: Death on Everest as Jon Krakauer and Requiem for a Dream as Tappy Tibbons (opposite Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn). He co-starred in Happy Gilmore, American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile, American Pie Presents: Beta House, Flubber, and Leave It to Beaver. His television credits include Harry's Law, Boardwalk Empire, and Family Law.
Trained by legendary acting teacher Stella Adler and at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, McDonald was singled out by the New York Times as one of the most prolific actors in Hollywood. He has performed in over 100 films over more than four decades. His roughly 40 stage credits include Billy Flynn in the long-running Broadway reboot of Chicago and the 2013 hit Lucky Guy (opposite Oscar winner Tom Hanks).
Since the loss of two siblings and a parent to cancer, he has been an active supporter of the Make a Wish foundation along with charities which help cancer research. He participates in celebrity fund-raising events throughout the world. A graduate of Hobart and William Smith college in 1977, he is the principal donor for the building of the school's new Performing Arts Center.
Graham Harvey is a talented 14-year-old actor based in Dallas, Texas. With a growing list of impressive credits, Graham has quickly established himself in both television and film. He is best known for his recurring roles on The Night Agent (Netflix), Rabbit Hole (Paramount), and Chicago PD (NBC), as well as his guest star appearance on Stranger Things (Netflix).
Graham's career continues to rise as he takes on the lead role in The Last Rodeo, a highly anticipated project set to release in May 2025 through Angels Studios. He is also currently in production for Matchbox, a new film from Mattel, directed by Sam Hargrave, which will be released by Apple.
Beyond acting, Graham is a well-rounded performer, with training in singing, dancing, drums, and guitar. He also enjoys playing basketball in his downtime. With his impressive skill set and undeniable talent, Graham is one to watch as he continues to build his career in the entertainment industry.
Jon Avnet has directed, written, and produced more than 80 motion pictures (Black Swan, Fried Green Tomatoes, Risky Business), television movies (The Burning Bed, Uprising, The Starter Wife), and Broadway plays (Spamalot, History Boys, Pillowman), winning Oscars, Emmys, Tonys, Peabodys, Golden Globes, the Humanitas, DGA, WGA, and AFI Awards.
Today, Mr. Avnet serves on the Board of the Directors Guild of America, where he chaired the 2023 Negotiating Committee, as well as the DGA Western Directors Council, and is a Trustee of the DGA-Producer Pension and Health Plans. He has served on the DGA Plans’ Finance Committee since 2012. In addition, he is Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors at the American Film Institute, where he has been a guiding force for over 30 years (and Chairman for eight years). In June 2013, Mr. Avnet received an honorary Doctorate in Communications from the American Film Institute.
Mr. Avnet is the recipient of numerous awards, including the ACLU’s Freedom of Speech award, The AFI’s Franklin Shaffner Award, and the Janus Korshak award (for Uprising) given by the American Friends of the Ghetto Fighters House in honor of the famous Polish educator who gave his life so his orphans would never be abandoned.
Mr. Avnet attended the University of Pennsylvania, received a BA from Sarah Lawrence College and was awarded a fellowship in directing to the American Film Institute.
Derek Presley was born in Fort Worth, Texas. After making numerous short films and music videos he began his feature filmmaking career and has never looked back. He is the writer and director of Red Stone (2021), Boon (2022) and Tonic (2024). Presley is also a frequent collaborator with Neal McDonough, co-writing The Last Rodeo, to be directed by Jon Avnet, produced by Kip Konwiser, Ruve McDonough and Hal Lieberman.
For nearly four decades, Kip Konwiser has made innovative entertainment of the highest quality and demonstrated prescience for entertainment and cultural trends. His dozens of credits across feature films, TV series, documentaries, interactive multimedia, live events, and music & dance have been financially profitable & garnered distinctive awards worldwide.
Konwiser has collaborated and partnered with luminaries such as Kenny Ortega, Quincy Jones, Peter Guber, Jon Avnet, Whoopi Goldberg, Penny Marshall, David Falk, Laurence Mark, Magic Johnson, the Grateful Dead, Willie Nelson, Carlos Santana, Herbie Hancock, Chuck D, Dr. Dre & Snoop, Oliver Stone, Reggie Hudlin, Laurence Fishburne, Tiffany Haddish among many others.
With a broad skill set as both a senior management business executive and creative artist, Konwiser has helped to raise the profile of many of the world’s top brands in entertainment, sports and music, including Legendary Pictures, Blizzard Entertainment, NIKE, Mandalay Sports Entertainment, Burton Snowboards, Gatorade, TapouT, And 1, General Electric, Virgin Enterprises, and the estates of Roy Rogers, Duke Ellington & John Coltrane to name just a few.
Kip has earned an impressive array of industry awards and honors along the way, including the Prime-Time Emmy Award for Best Picture on two separate occasions, the NAACP Image Award, the Humanitas Prize & the Producer’s Guild of America’s Producer of the Year Award. He has earned Best Picture, Audience Award or Grand Jury Prizes at many of the nation’s top festivals including AFI Fest, the New York Festival, Pan African Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, Napa Valley Film Festival, Worldfest Houston, Chinese American Film Festival, Golden Rooster Awards, CINE Gold Eagle, and many others.
Whether designing the underlying foundation of new business ventures, constructing debt and equity financing, teaching & mentoring students around the world or producing and directing award winning film & TV content, Kip Konwiser continues to prove himself as renaissance man of the entertainment world.
PHOTO CREDIT: AFCI
Multi talented and award winning actor Neal McDonough has been blessed to have an incredible career in the film industry.
He is now producing films alongside his wife Ruvé for the McDonough company. Films such as THE WARRANT, BREAKERS LAW, REDSTONE, BOON, BLACK SPARTANS ,and most recently the hit film THE SHIFT for Angel Studios.
Soon, they will be going into production on their next western that he has written called THE WICKED AND THE RIGHTEOUS .
McDonough is well known for performances in productions, such as BAND OF BROTHERS, MINORITY REPORT, WALKING TALL and STAR-TREK FIRST CONTACT. He also started in many stage productions, and most recently playing Whitey Bulger on stage in FINDING WHITEY at the Wilbur theater in Boston.
He also recently played Daddy Warbucks in ANNIE and numerous other stage productions as well.
His voice over career is what really started him. The voice of many cartoons, including Bruce Banner in the INCREDIBLE HULK and in many video games such as CALL OF DUTY ZOMBIES.
He has also been the long term voice of FIDELITY AND CADILLAC.
But he's most proud of his relationship with God, his wife, Ruvé, and their five children.
McDonough trained at Syracuse University and studied at LAMDA in London.