Alexander Nevsky has begun filming his new Western movie Last Heroes of Rio Bravo and released the first image from the set. The Russian actor and producer announced that production has started on the project, sharing a preview photograph of himself returning in the starring role.
The debut still depicts Nevsky in character as Ivan Turchin, the central protagonist of the actor's original trilogy. In the late nineteenth-century Western setting, the frontier sheriff will once again take on the mission of protecting the weak from dangerous cutthroats.
Last Heroes of Rio Bravo will serve as the fourth film in the series. Nevsky previously starred in and produced three earlier pictures in the franchise: Assault on Rio Bravo, Taken from Rio Bravo, and Rio Bravo Gold: Secret of Sheriff Kelly.
The Rio Bravo franchise
The series marks Nevsky's transition into the American Western genre following years of making contemporary action thrillers. The films pay tribute to classic Hollywood Westerns, embracing traditional themes of a solitary lawman defending frontier settlements from outlaw bands.
The character of Ivan Turchin draws on the historical figure of Ivan Turchaninov, an officer who emigrated from the Russian Empire to the United States in the 1850s. Known in America as John Basil Turchin, he served as a Union Army brigadier general during the American Civil War before settling in the West, providing historical inspiration for Nevsky's gunfighting lawman.
Alexander Nevsky and BadComedian
Nevsky, a former competitive bodybuilder, built a career producing and starring in independent, English-language action films including Moscow Heat, Treasure Raiders, and Black Rose. He became a prominent online cultural figure largely through BadComedian, the channel run by Russian film reviewer Evgeniy Bazhenov. Bazhenov's viral video essays mocking Nevsky's earlier action vehicles attracted millions of views, creating an enduring cult following around the filmmaker's work.
Production on Last Heroes of Rio Bravo has officially begun, but the sequel does not yet have a release date.
