Duke Nicholson has a problem in his first film lead: the dead body he was guarding has vanished. In The Deputy, the actor plays rookie officer Toby Sawyer, who must find the missing corpse before a small town’s secrets bury him instead. A new clip released today puts him across the table from Tiffany Haddish, who plays the one fellow deputy willing to hear him out.
Nicholson is Jack Nicholson’s grandson, but this role gives him a chance to carry a film on his own terms. Toby is not the cool, unshakable lawman from an old Western. He is frightened, making mistakes and trying to understand why people around him would rather he stop asking questions.
What happens in the new clip?
Haddish’s Deputy Amanda Jackson visits Toby after he lands behind bars. She asks him to explain himself; he talks through the missing body, another woman in the cell and a discovery involving a truck full of people. The clip cuts off before Amanda can sort through all of it. It is a smart introduction to their partnership: Toby needs help, but he does not yet know whom he can trust.
The setup has more than a simple whodunit behind it. Well Go USA’s official synopsis says Toby’s search uncovers years of corruption in the town. Amanda becomes his lone ally as pressure builds for him to look the other way. The missing corpse starts the trouble; the people who want it forgotten are the real threat.
Nicholson wanted a hero who makes mistakes
Speaking to People about why he took the part, Nicholson called Toby “messy, flawed and completely in over his head.” He said Toby’s good heart drew him to the character. That is a more interesting pitch than pretending the rookie is ready for everything the case throws at him.
Nicholson also said he and director Matt Sukkar have been friends for years, with film at the center of that friendship. They shot the independent movie in just three weeks. He described the set as having a “wonderfully chaotic energy,” a feeling he thought suited Toby’s story. The fast shoot is not just behind-the-scenes trivia: it helps explain why Nicholson talks about the film as a personal project as well as a step up in his career.
A big cast around a new leading man
William H. Macy plays Chief Kreuger, the man who gives Toby the assignment that goes wrong. Stephen Dorff, Billie Lourd and Julia Fox also appear. Sukkar makes his feature directing debut from a screenplay by Carlo Bernard. Nicholson had supporting parts in Us and In the Hand of Dante before taking this lead.
The names around him are familiar, yet the film’s main draw is watching Toby decide whether to keep digging when backing off would be safer. Nicholson said he hopes viewers enjoy the ride and root for Toby as he learns to do the right thing. The interview and clip make that choice feel like the story’s center, not merely a setup for another chase.
When can you see The Deputy?
Well Go USA has set The Deputy for September 25, 2026, in U.S. theaters. The People interview also says it will be available on digital and on demand that day. There is no reason to pretend we already know whether Toby solves the case; the clip leaves him in a very bad spot.
Find the cast, premise and release details on our The Deputy movie page.
Quick answers
Duke Nicholson plays Toby Sawyer, Tiffany Haddish plays Deputy Amanda Jackson, and The Deputy arrives September 25. This is Nicholson’s first film lead.
