Cowboys and Aliens Movie Cast, Plot and Everything to Know

First Contact. Last Stand.

Last modified: Oct. 11, 2011

Cowboys and Aliens

Release Date: Friday, July 29, 2011 Theaters

A 19th-century gunslinger (Daniel Craig) unites townspeople, outlaws and a band of Apache warriors against an extraterrestrial threat.

Director: Jon Favreau

Starring: Daniel Craig • Olivia Wilde • Harrison Ford • Noah Ringer • Sam Rockwell

PG-13 Action 1 hr, 52 m

3.87 / 5.0

87% WILL SEE 13% WON'T SEE

Rent or buy

Plot – What's the story about?

Plot: 1875. New Mexico Territory. A stranger (Daniel Craig) with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don't welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford). It's a town that lives in fear.

But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known.

Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he's been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella (Olivia Wilde), he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents—townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors—all in danger of annihilation. United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival.

Action Adventure Drama Sci-Fi Western

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Who stars in Cowboys and Aliens – Cast List

Daniel Craig
... Jake Lonergan

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Knives Out
Olivia Wilde
... Ella

Tron: Legacy, In Time
Harrison Ford
... Col. Woodrow Dolarhyde

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Noah Ringer
... Emmett

The Last Airbender
Sam Rockwell
... Doc

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, IF
P
Paul Dano
... Percy

Prisoners, The Batman
K
Keith Carradine
They Listen, Laws of Man
C
Clancy Brown
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, Regretting You
A
Adam Beach
Diablo, A Warrior's Heart
Abigail Spencer
Oz: The Great and Powerful, The Haunting in Georgia

Who is making Cowboys and Aliens – Crew List

A look at Cowboys and Aliens behind-the-scenes crew and production team. The film's director Jon Favreau last helmed The Lion King and The Jungle Book. The film's writer Mark Fergus last penned Akira and Nocturne.

Director: Jon Favreau
Screenwriters: Mark Fergus
Hawk Ostby
Alex Kurtzman
Producers: Brian Grazer
Ron Howard
Alex Kurtzman
Roberto Orci
Scott Mitchell Rosenberg

Studios: Universal Pictures
Production Company: DreamWorks Studios
Fairview Entertainment
Imagine Entertainment
K/O Paper Products
Platinum Studios

Production – What we know about the Cowboys and Aliens

Key Facts

Cowboys and Aliens is based on the Image Comics graphic novel written by Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley. That graphic novel was published in 2006, but Hollywood has been hot for the high concept project since the movie was first acquired by Universal and DreamWorks in 1997. That sale was made based on a one-sheet of a cowboy and a space ship, with Steve Oedekerk aboard to write and direct. The project subsequently moved to Columbia Pictures and Escape Artists, and then back to Universal and DreamWorks, and the script has been through at least seven writers or writer teams.

Movie Filming Timeline: Production Status Updates

Jun 2011

Completed

Changed Cowboys and Aliens movie production status. The movie is ready for release.

Sep 2010

Post-Production

Changed the movie production status to Post-Production. The movie is now in the editing and finishing stages.

Jun 2010

Production

Changed the movie production status to Production. The movie is currently being filmed.

Jan 2010

Pre-Production

Changed the movie production status to Pre-Production. Preparations are underway to start production.

Nov 2008

Development

Changed the movie production status to Development. The movie is likely in scripting, budgeting, or stuck in 'development hell.'

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Additional Information

Parent Rating: PG-13 Parents Strongly Cautioned for intense sequences of western and sci-fi action and violence, some partial nudity and a brief crude reference
Runtime: 1 hr, 52 m
Tagline: First Contact. Last Stand.
Also known as: Cowboys & Aliens
Language: English

Cowboys and Aliens Trailers and Clips

Cowboys and Aliens

Preview from Spike

Cowboys and Aliens

Super Bowl Spot

Cowboys and Aliens

Theatrical Trailer

Cowboys and Aliens Release Date: When was the film released?

Cowboys and Aliens was released in nationwide movie theaters on Friday, July 29 , 2011. The film was released in approximately 3,750 theaters. There were 12 12 other movies released on the same date, including Crazy, Stupid, Love, The Smurfs and The Guard.