Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey has released a new bluegrass song, "Quill," from The Rivals of Amziah King soundtrack, ahead of the film's August 14 release — his first big-screen return in six years.
TL;DR
- McConaughey sings and plays mandolin on "Quill," joined by Ben Hardesty, actor Angelina LookingGlass, Miranda Zickler and Andrea Pister.
- The track appears on the soundtrack for The Rivals of Amziah King, opening in US cinemas on Friday, August 14.
- The song borrows its folk sound from Hardesty's band, The Last Bison, according to writer-director Andrew Patterson.
- British producer David Heyman's Heyday Films co-produced the project, giving it a UK production stake.
McConaughey trades his drawl for a mandolin
McConaughey plays Amziah King, an Oklahoma beekeeper who leads a bluegrass band of misfits in the film. According to E! News, the 56-year-old sings and plays mandolin on "Quill," with Hardesty, LookingGlass, Zickler and Pister all appearing on the track.
The song is one of six live musical numbers featured across the film. McConaughey and his castmates performed the tracks live on set rather than lip-syncing to studio recordings.
A folk sound borrowed from a real band
Patterson said the indie folk group The Last Bison, fronted by Hardesty, shaped the film's musical identity, according to Deadline. Hardesty co-wrote and performs "Quill" alongside McConaughey in the finished film.
McConaughey has called the project "kind of a musical," according to Variety, adding that he did not realise how music-driven the story would become until he watched the finished cut.
Stat check
| Figure | Detail | Source |
| 97% | Rotten Tomatoes critic score | Rotten Tomatoes |
| August 14, 2026 | US theatrical release date | Wikipedia, The Rivals of Amziah King |
| Six years | Gap since McConaughey's last live-action film role | Variety |
The UK connection behind the camera
The Rivals of Amziah King was co-produced by Heyday Films, the British production company founded by producer David Heyman, best known for the Harry Potter franchise. Heyman shares a producing credit alongside Teddy Schwarzman and Patterson, according to the film's Wikipedia entry.
The film premiered at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, on March 10, 2025, and goes into wide US release on August 21, following the August 14 limited opening.
Reported from publicly available interviews and verified press sources. Last reviewed August 8, 2026.
