The Postman
A wandering drifter dons a lost postal uniform and sets out to reconnect isolated survivors, hoping to reignite faith in a shattered America, while a ruthless warlord seeks to crush the burgeoning movement before it can restore order.
“The year is 2013. One man walked in off the horizon and hope came with him.”
Synopsis
In 2013, the United States has become a desolate wasteland, devoid of highways, interstates, and the promise of a better future, with only scattered survivors remaining. Amid this post-apocalyptic setting, an enigmatic drifter arrives, traveling with a mule, possessing a talent for Shakespeare, and carrying an as-yet-undiscovered ability to inspire hope.
Credits
Related titles
No curated related titles yet. Use the edit affordance to add "More from this director", "Same franchise", or "Adaptation source material" entries — every change goes through the wiki review queue.
How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 274+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Peter BoyleShot by Stephen F WindonScored by James Newton HowardDesigned by Ida RandomSound by Lance BrownCostumes by John BloomfieldVFX by Tricia Henry Ashford
Box Office
1997 · Box office
📉 Underperformed — grossed 0.2× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$17.6M
Opening weekend: $1.6M — 9% of its US run. It had legs — it kept earning long after opening weekend.
Opening week (7-day): $1.6M — 9% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 2,207 theaters
Also known as
- Postmande
- L'uomo del giorno dopoit
Release dates around the world4 countries · showhide
- United StatesDec 12, 1997
- CanadaDec 25, 1997
- ChileDec 25, 1997
- PhilippinesDec 25, 1997
Companies
Community tags
Be the first to tag this page — tags appear right away. Try a theme, capability, or subject (e.g. WWII, heist, slow burn, time travel, A24).
Cast & Crew
274 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Kevin Costner
as The Postman
Will Patton
as General Bethlehem
Larenz Tate
as Ford Lincoln Mercury
Olivia Williams
as Abby
James Russo
as Idaho
Daniel Von Bargen
as Pineview Sheriff Briscoe
Tom Petty
as Bridge City Mayor
Scott Bairstow
as Luke
Giovanni Ribisi
as Bandit 20
Roberta Maxwell
as Irene March
Joe Santos
as Colonel Getty
Ron Mclarty
as Old George
Supporting cast
80Peggy Lipton
as Ellen March
Brian Anthony Wilson
as Woody
Todd Allen
as Gibbs
Rex Linn
as Mercer
Shawn Hatosy
as Billy
Ryan Hurst
as Eddie March
Charles Esten
as Michael, Abby's Husband
Annie Costner
as Ponytail
Ty O Neal
as Drew
Kirk Fox
as Gangly Recruit
Ken Linhart
as Disappointed Recruit
Korey Scott Pollard
as Thin Recruit
Kayla Lambert
as Shakespeare Girl
Austin Howard Early
as Shakespeare Boy
Ellen Geer
as Pineview Woman
Randle Mell
as Villiage Mayor
Cooper Taylor
as Tony
Dylan Haggerty
as Slow Recruit
Michael Milgrom
as Holnist Projectionist
Keith C Howell
as Holnist Scout
H P Evetts
as Holnist Soldier
Jeffery Thomas Johnson
as Rope Bridge Soldier
Jeff Mcgrail
as Rope Bridge Soldier
Lily Costner
as Lily March
Gregory Avellone
as Pineview Man
Susan Brightbill
as Pineview Woman
Elisa Daniel
as Pineview Woman
Jenny Buchanan
as Pineview Woman
Ann Manning
as Pineview Woman
Andy Garrison
as Pineview Sentry
Rusty Hendrickson
as Pineview Minister
Marvin Winton
as Pineview Old Man
Jono Manson
as Pineview Band
John J Coinman
as Pineview Band
Vernon T Williams
as Pineview Band
Mark Clark
as Pineview Band
Blair Forward
as Pineview Band
Robyn Pruitt Hamm
as Pineview Band
Michelle Ramminger
as Pineview Band
Tom Novak
as Benning Gatekeeper
Richard Joel
as Benning Gatekeeper
George Wyner
as Benning Mayor
Brooke Becker
as Benning Woman
Eva Gayle Six
as Benning Woman
Todd Lewis
as Benning Man
Joe Costner
as Letter Boy
Kathi Sheehan
as Letter Boy's Mother
Amy Jo Weinstein
as Elvis Woman
Betty Moyer
as Elvis Woman
Joseph Mckenna
as Holnist Captain
Neal Preston Coon
as Bridge City Boy
Rick Wadkins
as Bridge City Man
Shiree Porter
as Bridge City Woman
Anthony Guidera
as Bridge City Guard
Jude Herrera
as Carrier
Greg Serano
as California Carrier
Derk Cheetwood
as Carrier 12
Mark Thomason
as Adult Letter Boy
Julie Andrews
as Maria
Stanton Barrett
as California Carrier
Lester Berman
as Cook
Tom Bower
as Larry
Shane Alan Bowers
as 8's Cavalry
Caleb
as The Lion
Michael Doherty
as Elvis, Oregon Townsperson
Mark Donnell
as Holnist Bridge Guard
Gordon Frye
as Holnist Cavalry Captain
Nancy Frye
as Town Cavalry
Robert F Glass
as Holnist soldier
Patric Johnstone
as Holnist Cavalryman
Josef
as Lion
Joseph
as The Lion
Ronald Lacaria
as Rider
Dolph Lundgren
as Andrew Scott
James Marks
as Holnist First Sergeant
Mary Stuart Masterson
as Hope, Postman's Daughter
Ernest Melon
as Soldier
Fergus O Fay
as Horseback Rider
Chris Orf
as Conscript
Brandon Tyler
as Postal Recruit
Directors
1Writers
3Producers
9James Newton Howard
orchestrator / music producer (uncredited)
James T Hill
electronic music producer
Jim Wilson
Producer
Jim Wilson Nm0933604
Producer, Producers
Kevin Costner
Producer, Producers
Lester Berman
line producer
Lydia Bottegoni
visual effects producer: Sony Pictures Imageworks
Scott Dougherty
visual effects producer: Cinesite
Steve Tisch
Producer, Producers
Other crew
180Loretta James Demasi
additional makeup artist (uncredited)
Douglas A Raine
additional second assistant director
Tod Swindell
additional second assistant director
Charles Simmers
additional second assistant director (as Chuck Simmers)
Marc Deschaine
adr assistant
Zack Davis
adr editor
Cody Dorkin
adr voice
Rusty Hendrickson
animal wrangler
Scott Ritenour
Art Directors
Ronald R Reiss
as Ron Reiss
Elizabeth A Bergman
assistant accountant (uncredited)
Margo Romano
assistant accountant
Parents Guide
AI Personalities
Advisory Bot AI
I keep the family-safety picture honest — community advisories, AI-moderated, summarized without spin.
Ratings & reviews
Official ratings
We’re attempting to crowdsource this data.
Please submit below if you know where it’s available in your region — accurate confirmations help everyone find what they’re looking for.
Where to watch
Not currently streaming on any platform we track.
Gallery
Add imageNo community images for The Postman yet
Add a still, a storyboard, or concept art — every image gets its own page where members can discuss it.
Trailers
No trailers logged for The Postman yet — add the first one below.
Spot a trailer we’re missing?
Add a trailer from any film, show, or game.
Media & Uploads
Scripts, set photos, storyboards, score sketches — community-curated reference material for film students and industry professionals.
Did you or a loved one work on The Postman?
Every stage matters — pitch decks and treatments from development, location scouts and table-reads from pre-production, set photos and crew anecdotes from production, edit-bay notes from post, and press kits, festival memories, or marketing ephemera from distribution. Any moment that didn't make the press tour, any document or photograph that's been sitting in a box — please share it so it's not lost to time.
We particularly welcome contributions from writers, producers, cast, crew, festival programmers, distributors, marketing teams, their families, and anyone who was there at any stage.
Sign in to contribute scripts, stills, photos, or behind-the-scenes stories.
Be the first to share something on The Postman.
Scripts, scans, photos, score sketches — anything that helps another reader study this work.
Memorable quotes
Browse all →No quotes logged for The Postman yet — add the first memorable line below.
Got a quote we’re missing?
Submit a line from any film, show, or game.
The conversation
Loading the conversation…
Comments (0)
on The PostmanNo comments yet. Be the first to share what you think.
Edit history
Loading edit history…