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The Wrecking Crew (2026 film)

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The Wrecking Crew
Release poster
Directed byÁngel Manuel Soto
Written byJonathan Tropper
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMatt Flannery
Edited byMike McCusker
Music byBobby Krlic
Production
companies
Distributed byAmazon MGM Studios (via Prime Video)
Release dates
  • January 15, 2026 (2026-01-15) (Regal Times Square)
  • January 28, 2026 (2026-01-28) (Prime Video)
Running time
122 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Wrecking Crew is a 2026 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Ángel Manuel Soto and written by Jonathan Tropper. It stars Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa, Claes Bang, Temuera Morrison, Jacob Batalon, Frankie Adams, Miyavi, Stephen Root, and Morena Baccarin.

Plot

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Private investigator Walter Hale is killed in an apparent hit and run in Hawaii. His sons, estranged half-brothers US Navy SEAL James and suspended police detective Jonny, are informed of his passing. Yakuza thugs attack Jonny at his Oklahoma home, believing that Walter had sent him a package.

Although initially ambivalent about Walter's passing due to their estrangement, Jonny heads to Hawaii to attend the funeral and investigate his death. There, he reunites with James, meeting his wife Leila and their children. Their cousin Nani comes, who works for Governor Peter Mahoe, also a longtime family friend.

The brothers investigate Walter's death separately, converging on his ransacked apartment. They work with Walter's assistant Pika and find plans for a casino and resort hidden in a surfboard. With Nani's help, they discover the casino is to be built on Hawaiian home lands, with the site already home to a small community.

Jonny and James infiltrate a party held at casino developer Marcus Robichaux's. Jonny discovers that Walter had been hired by both Marcus and his wife Monica to investigate each other. And James encounters yakuza leader Nakamura, whose shell company owns the vehicle involved in Walter's death.

Jonny goes to meet Monica the next day but finds her dead. Believing Marcus to be responsible, he returns to the house to confront him, but is beat up by Marcus' security and locked up in jail. After Jonny is released, the brothers fight each other to settle their differences. Jonny reveals he is motivated to investigate Walter's death because he was unable to solve the murder of his own mother. James discloses he sent Jonny away to save his life from the Syndicate, a local crime group that Jonny blames for his mother's death, leading to their estrangement.

Jonny's ex-girlfriend Valentina calls him from Oklahoma, telling him that a package from Walter had arrived there. After she personally delivers the package to Hawaii, they find it contains a flash drive that acts as a security key to a digital wallet owned by Walter before they are attacked by more yakuza. After fighting them off, they discover the digital wallet contains millions of dollars as well as transaction information relating to offshore bank accounts owned by Governor Mahoe.

They conclude that Robichaux, in league with the yakuza, has been bribing the Governor. This is to legalize gambling and to give him permission to build a casino on Hawaiian home land. Walter was murdered after he uncovered the plot and sent the flash drive to Jonny.

James and Jonny receive a call from Robichaux, revealing that he has kidnapped Leila and Nani, and demands the flash drive for their lives. James and Jonny assault his house, rescue them, and kill Nakamura and Robichaux. Mahoe is arrested for corruption while the leader of the Syndicate gives Jonny the name of the man who killed his mother in appreciation for dealing with the yakuza; however Jonny burns the paper with the killer's name in a barbecue. Jonny decides to stay in Hawaii with James and they make plans to spend the millions left to them by Walter in the digital wallet.

Cast

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Production

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Development

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The film is produced by Jeffrey Fierson for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It is written by Jonathan Tropper.[2] MGM won a four-way bidding war for the project in 2021 which reportedly came from an original idea from Tropper, Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista.[3] David Leitch was once attached to direct with filming locations scouted in Hawaii, but that iteration of the project fell through due to scheduling commitments with The Fall Guy.[4] In August 2023, Ángel Manuel Soto came onboard to direct.[5]

Casting

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Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista were linked to roles in 2021 prior to a bidding war for the project which was won by MGM. They were confirmed in the roles in August 2023.[6] In August 2024, Claes Bang, Temuera Morrison, Jacob Batalon, Frankie Adams, Miyavi, and Stephen Root joined the cast of the film.[7][8] In September, Morena Baccarin joined the cast, with Lydia Peckham, Roimata Fox and Branscombe Richmond.[9][10]

The film was the final acting role of David Hekili Kenui Bell, who died on June 12, 2025. This film marks his only other acting role in a film, as Bell previously made his film debut in the live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch,[11] which starred fellow cast member for this film Maia Kealoha.[12]

Filming

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Principal photography began on October 5, 2024, in Hawaii and New Zealand.[10][13]

Music

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Bobby Krlic composed the score for the film, making this his second collaboration with Soto, following Blue Beetle.[14]

Release

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The Wrecking Crew had its world premiere at the Regal Times Square theater in New York City on January 15, 2026,[15] and was released on Amazon Prime Video on January 28.[16]

Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 74% of 69 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "The Wrecking Crew is as brawny and disarmingly charming as its two leading men, smashing through a thin story with colorful pyrotechnics and a satisfying amount of attitude"."[17]

References

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  1. ^ "The Wrecking Crew". Amazon MGM Studios. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  2. ^ Couch, Aaron (August 21, 2023). "Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa to Team for 'Wrecking Crew' from 'Blue Beetle' Director Ángel Manuel Soto". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  3. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (November 11, 2021). "Jason Momoa & Dave Bautista Create a Bidding War For Buddy Action Comedy Pitch; MGM Wins 4-Bidder Battle". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  4. ^ "Dave Bautista & Jason Momoa Action Movie Lands DCU Director In First Update Since 2021". Screen Rant. August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  5. ^ "Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa's The Wrecking Crew Lands Blue Beetle Director". cbr.com. August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  6. ^ Gonzalez, Umberto (August 21, 2023). "'Blue Beetle' Director Ángel Manuel Soto to Direct 'The Wrecking Crew' at MGM (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  7. ^ Gonzalez, Umberto (August 5, 2024). "Claes Bang Joins Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa in 'The Wrecking Crew'". TheWrap. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  8. ^ Kit, Borys (August 23, 2024). "Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista Action Comedy 'The Wrecking Crew' Adds Temuera Morrison, Jacob Batalon (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  9. ^ Grobar, Matt (September 12, 2024). "Lydia Peckham, Roimata Fox & Branscombe Richmond Join Amazon MGM's Action Comedy 'The Wrecking Crew'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
  10. ^ a b Kit, Borys (September 4, 2024). "Morena Baccarin Joins Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa in Amazon Action Comedy 'The Wrecking Crew' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  11. ^ Shewfelt, Raechal (June 18, 2025). "Lilo & Stitch and Hawaii Five-O actor David Hekili Kenui Bell dies at 46". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  12. ^ Palacios, Bibiana (March 12, 2025). "Who is Maia Kealoha, the actress who will play Lilo Pelekai in Lilo & Stitch live-action?". Revista Merca2.0 (in Spanish). Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  13. ^ Swann, Erik (October 5, 2024). "Jason Momoa's Action Movie With Dave Bautista Is Finally Filming, See The Sweet Way He Celebrated". CinemaBlend. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  14. ^ "Bobby Krlic Scoring Angel Manuel Soto's 'The Wrecking Crew'". Film Music Reporter. December 17, 2025. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  15. ^ Estrada, Jeremiah (January 16, 2026). "New York premiere of Prime Video movie 'The Wrecking Crew'". KITV. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  16. ^ Breznican, Anthony (December 17, 2025). "Esquire First Look: Jason Momoa Battles Dave Bautista in The Wrecking Crew". Esquire. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  17. ^ "The Wrecking Crew". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
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