40 Acres: Release date news, cast details, and more about the upcoming post-apocalyptic thriller starring Danielle Deadwyler

Danielle Deadwyler is making her big screen return in the upcoming post-apocalyptic thriller 40 Acres this July, following Toronto International Film Festival's grand premiere. Randall Thorne, aka R.T. Thorne, is at the helm of the project and has also worked as a screenwriter alongside Glenn Taylor and producer Jennifer Holness.

40 Acres had an exceptional reception owing to its early screening and currently holds a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. It is a survival story that revolves around a family of African American peasants in Canada after their land is struck by many plagues, leaving the remnants in a post-apocalyptic situation. The official synopsis of 40 Acres, per IMDb, reads:

"In a post-apocalyptic world with food scarcity, a Black family of Canadian farmers descended from American Civil War migrants defend their homestead against cannibals trying to seize their resources."

When will 40 Acres be released?

On July 2, 2025, 40 Acres is set to have a limited theatrical premiere across the United States with Magnolia Pictures holding distribution rights. The film also shares a release date with one of the potential O hits this year: Jurassic World Rebirth. Considering the fact that 40 Acres will be screened in select theatres in the US, the movie will supposedly reach video-on-demand services, though nothing is confirmed as of now.

What do we know about the plot of 40 Acres?

The plot unravels, taking us back to 1875's Canada in a premise where the first American Civil War has just concluded, and the story centers on a family of African American farmers. As two centuries pass by, the same family (the Freemans) is now led by Hailey Freeman (portrayed by Danielle Deadwyler)—a full-fledged matriarchy.

However, the country has already been inflicted with a lot of suffering owing to wars, famines, and plagues. As a result, agricultural lands eventually turned sterile all around, and only selected plots could still grow crops. The Freemans also own a similar area.

With such an intense situation culminating, Hailey (an ex-army) now has the responsibility of protecting her family and herself from the raiders (who come to steal food). Her better half, Galen (played by Michael Greyeyes), is her only major support in protecting their children in a post-apocalyptic world.

The Freemans live on a fenced piece of land with dense forest on one side, where the cannibals reside. Things go well for a while until Hailey's eldest son, Emanuel (played by Kataem O’Connor), becomes an adult, thereby developing the urge to have social contact with people outside his family. While wandering around one day, he stumbles upon a young woman (outside of the protected land of "40 Acres"), and that accidentally brings him and his close ones into the vicinity of the raiders/cannibals.

Will Hailey and her husband be able to save their boy? Or will danger find a way into the protected area of "40 Acres"? All the answers lie on the other side of the upcoming thriller movie.

Who is in the cast of 40 Acres?

Danielle Deadwyler (known from The Piano Lesson) will lead the cast of 40 Acres alongside award-winning star Michael Greyeyes, and they will play the roles of the two protagonists—Hailey Freeman and Galen, respectively. Among others in the cast, we have: