James Paxton Takes His Late Father's Western Role as Last Train to Fortune Heads Home
James Paxton is playing the part his father was first set to play in the Western Last Train to Fortune, and the film can be rented or bought from Nov. 6. The Hollywood Reporter reported the casting and the home release on Oct. 29, 2026. Apple TV and other services will carry the film for rent or purchase.
Bill Paxton was originally planned to play the outlaw who agrees to escort Malcolm McDowell's character safely to his new post. Paxton died in 2017 after heart surgery. His son, James Paxton, was cast in that role instead.
McDowell plays a cheerful educator in the Old West. Mary Steenburgen plays a schoolteacher the story meets in its final act. Adam Rifkin directs the film, and Michele Rifkin wrote the script. Producer Brad Wyman suggested reviving the project, according to the same report.
The project has a long history. Lindsay Anderson was attached to direct it in 1991, decades before it reached audiences. That early plan did not lead to a finished film at the time.
The film's theatrical run came first. Deadline reported in August that TriCoast Worldwide and Vitagraph had set a fall theatrical release. During that run, Vitagraph Films shared a recorded question-and-answer session with McDowell, James Paxton and Seamus McDowell on Facebook, posted on Sept. 29, 2026.
Theatrical release is the first stop for most films, and home viewing usually follows after a set gap. Here, the next step is simple. From Nov. 6, anyone can pay to watch the film at home.
