Full Breakdown
Geena Davis Joins Amazon MGM’s Action Film “The Kellys”
6/11/2026, 2:17:43 AM
The Kellys: Plot, Cast, and Prime Video Release
The Kellys, directed by Brad Peyton, follows disgraced NYC cop Jack Kelly (Arnold Schwarzenegger) as he races to rescue his wife Molly, seized by terrorists in an old armory. The cast also includes Liam Hemsworth, Kelsey Asbille, Abby Elliott, and Geena Davis. Amazon MGM will stream the film on Prime Video in more than 240 countries.
Geena Davis Returns to Action After 30 Years
Seventy-year-old Academy Award winner Geena Davis, Best Supporting Actress for *The Accidental Tourist* (1988) and nominee for *Thelma & Louise* (1992), last appeared in an action role in 1996’s *The Long Kiss Goodnight*. Recent roles include Netflix’s *The Boroughs* (2024) and the sci-fi mystery *Blink Twice* (2024). *The Kellys* marks her first action role in three decades.
Advocacy for Gender Parity
In 2004 Davis founded the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, tracking female representation on screen. She earned an honorary Oscar in 2019. In a 2020 interview she said lead-character gender parity has been achieved in children’s TV and movies, calling the shift historic, and urged creators to gender-swap any character that could be female.
Key Data
- Age: 70
- Distribution: >240 countries
- Oscar win and nominations: Best Supporting Actress (1988); nominations for *The Accidental Tourist* (1988) and *Thelma & Louise* (1992)
Impact and Significance
Davis’s casting adds a female presence to the film’s ensemble. The Prime Video rollout will bring the film to audiences in over 240 countries, extending the gender-parity message she promotes.
Official Statements & Responses
Davis noted progress for female leads in children’s media but said supporting roles remain limited. She described ageism as a “fall off the cliff” and urged gender-swapping characters to create more opportunities for women.
Verbatim Quotes
- “It finally has happened,” she said. “We have just found, both that in kids’ TV and kids’ movies, we’ve reached gender parity with the lead characters — which is historic, it’s never happened.” — Geena Davis, 2020 interview
- “I made a point of saying change the characters to female, and then cast me,” — Geena Davis
- “I really did,” she said. “In the early stages of my career, I was blithely going along thinking, ‘Meryl Streep, Jessica Lange and Sally Field, they’re all making these great female-centric movies. And I’m getting these great roles, really tippy-top roles, so things must be getting better for women.’ But suddenly, the great roles were incredibly scarce.” — Geena Davis
- “fell off the cliff.” — Geena Davis
What’s Next
*The Kellys* is slated for a Prime Video debut later in 2026, with a specific date pending. Davis will also star in the stoner comedy *The Wrong Girls* and continue leading the Geena Davis Institute.
