"40 Acres" Trailer: Danielle Deadwyler Stars as a Fierce Matriarch Defending Her Family and Farm From Deadly Raiders in This Tense Post-Apocalyptic Action Thriller

In a world ravaged by disaster, Deadwyler plays a determined mother defending her family from ruthless raiders.

Danielle Deadwyler has been on a tear lately. Despite being overlooked for an Oscar nomination for her standout performances in Till and The Piano Lesson, and missing out on an Emmy nod for her exceptional work in the acclaimed HBO miniseries Station Eleven, Deadwyler seems to be diving headfirst into genre-focused projects. For example, a few months ago, she tackled the horror genre in the Blumhouse supernatural thriller The Woman in the Yard. Shortly before that, she had a role in Netflix’s Christmas-set action thriller Carry-On.

Now, Deadwyler is taking on the post-apocalyptic genre with guns blazing. She’s playing a fierce matriarch locked in a heated battle to protect her children from dangerous outsiders. It’s mama bear versus marauders. And our money is on Deadwyler... always, every day of the week, and twice on Sundays.

In the upcoming film 40 Acres, the world has been ravaged by devastating environmental disasters, leaving society with minimal natural resources. This has sparked war, famine, and widespread mistrust, affecting everything from neighboring states and counties to even the people next door. No one can be trusted, nor should be trusted.

Deadwyler takes on the role of Hailey Freeman, a former military soldier from a long line of Black farmers in rural Canada. When the world fell apart, Hailey battened down the hatches, creating a fortified perimeter around her family farm. She took charge, teaching her teenage children how to use tactical weapons and secure the border around their 40-acre rural estate.

When Hailey receives an alert from her ham radio that the neighboring farm has been attacked by ruthless raiders, she prepares for the worst. She orders her three children, now fully trained, along with a local father and his daughter who live and help out on Hailey’s family farm, to take guard.

Hailey’s only advice is, “Shoot first, don’t ask questions.” Revenge is off the table if there’s no one left alive to carry it out. Unfortunately for Hailey and her tribe, these mysterious raiders follow the same rule.

40 Acres marks the feature film debut of Canadian filmmaker R. T. Thorne. Like many working Canadian directors, Thorne got his start by helming episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation and Degrassi: Next Class. He also honed his skills directing a number of music videos for artists like DJ Khaled, Sean Paul, George Nozuka, Keshia Chanté, and Shawn Desman. Thorne is also credited with creating the short-lived Canadian sci-fi series Utopia Falls, which debuted in 2020 on Hulu and is still available to stream.

Also starring Michael Greyeyes, Kataem O’Connor, Jaeda LeBlanc, Milcania Diaz-Rojas, and Leenah Robinson, 40 Acres had its world premiere last September at the Toronto International Film Festival where it received mostly positive reviews, including Variety calling it "a subversive siege thriller, full of fresh ideas."

40 Acres is hitting theaters July 2nd.

Official Synopsis:

After a series of plagues and wars leaves society in ruins, the Freemans are surviving — even thriving — on a farm in the middle of nowhere... so long as they repel the occasional raiding party. Former soldier Hailey (Danielle Deadwyler) and her partner Galen (Michael Greyeyes) fled the collapse along with their children, training them to fight (and, yes, kill). But now Hailey’s eldest Emanuel (Kataem O’Connor) is a young man, and when he meets a young woman (Milcania Diaz-Rojas) in the forest beyond the fence, his need for human contact could place the whole family in jeopardy.