Paramount Picks Up Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Mark Wahlberg’s Film ‘By Any Means’ for Labor Day Release
Paramount Pictures has secured all U.S. rights to the crime thriller By Any Means, directed by Elegance Bratton and featuring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Mark Wahlberg. The film is set to premiere on Labor Day weekend, September 4, 2026.
The sale was brokered by WME Independent and CAA Media Finance, while north.five.six will oversee international sales.
Set in 1966 Mississippi and inspired by true events, By Any Means follows a turbulent partnership between a hardened mafia hitman and a young Black FBI agent. The pair must collaborate to track down those responsible for the murders of civil rights leaders, unveiling a conspiracy that challenges their notions of justice, loyalty, and survival.
The screenplay was written by Sascha Penn. Producers include Alex Lebovici from Hammerstone Studios, Chester Algernal Gordon and Bratton from Freedom Principle, Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee from Thunder Road, and Wahlberg along with Stephen Levinson from Municipal.
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By Any Means also features Nicole Beharie, David Strathairn, Giancarlo Esposito, Josh Lucas, and Ethan Embry.
Bratton remarked, “This is a story about unlikely alliances forged under impossible circumstances — where justice is not clean, and the truth comes at a cost. I wanted to explore what it means to confront violence not just as an act, but as a system — and what it demands of those caught inside it.”
By Any Means will launch alongside Amazon MGM Studios’ How to Rob a Bank. Paramount had previously secured the release date.
