Young Washington Gives Gen Z An Aspirational Hero For The Ages

The Federalist ^ | July 07, 2026 | Brooke Brandtjen

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The movie’s message about the value of strength and endurance has clearly resonated with Americans in an age of despair.

n the wake of celebrating our nation’s founding, it is harder to imagine a better time to reflect on the life of one preeminent Founding Father. Angel Studio’s Young Washington walks audiences through the lesser-known period of George Washington’s life, focusing on his pre-Revolutionary War experiences.

The movie’s message about the value of strength and endurance has clearly resonated with Americans. Young Washington opened domestically to an exceptional $20.8 million, blowing past its $15 million projections, and grossing more than $7.6 million on July 4 alone. The film was produced for just $20 million, meaning it’s on track to be a hit.

In comparison, DC’s summer blockbuster Supergirl also opened this past weekend, but only raked in $37 million. Compared to its $275 million production budget and years of fanbase development, Supergirl is not the smashing success Warner Bros was hoping for.

The disparity between Young Washington and Supergirl is not a coincidence, but indicative of a broader cultural divide. The main characters of superhero films have been trending snarky and morally grey. Supergirl’s marketing team focused on the female superhero’s angst and her role as a “girl boss.”

Pitting her against traditional heroism in trailers, the titular heroine says her cousin, Superman, “sees the good in everyone, but I see the truth.” Another trailer shows her dog peeing on a newspaper celebrating a recent Superman victory.

Young Washington gives audiences a very different message. In his own way, Washington is a superhero. His power is not rooted in super-strength or the ability to fly. His strength comes from his virtue, respect for brothers in arms, noble humility, and pursuit of...

---

TOPICS: TV/Movies
KEYWORDS:

[dadfly]

great movie. saw it yesterday. i applauded at the end, and others in the theatre joined me.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

‘Young Washington’ Sequel ‘1776’ In The Works After $19M+ Opening; 2nd-Best Live-Action Debut For Angel Studios

https://deadline.com/2026/07/young-washington-sequel-1776-box-office-1236974374/

[stanne]

Everyone here loved it

[WhoisAlanGreenspan?]

What a great article / review. We saw it Friday. A very good movie. There's been several threads on this one including mine but this movie deserves it.

[chrisinoc]

The studio is so pleased with the box office results they are planning a sequel called 1776.

[DIRTYSECRET]

Just saw it. Good but I got bored-sorry. Let’s hope the history is accurate and the conflicts within him were real and not Hollywood drama. Come to think of it-if it was accurate it would be a very teachable moment. Just look at the elements they had to put up with. Kelsey Grammar made a good statement afterwards. Reminded me of Tom Cruise introducing the Top Gun sequel. Let’s hope this young actor grows into the part as the sequels come into demand just like the Michael Jackson flick ‘continues’. No way it could be ‘too true.’

I’m uninformed as to his love attraction who married someone else. Sarah was her name I do believe. Guess I’ll have to research it. That part of the flick is incomplete and I do believe he married a Martha. It just may have been for her money. Any guy that wants to horn in on the ‘Uptown Girls’ will get a treated to another ‘teachable’ moment.

[EvilCapitalist]

Sally “Cary” Fairfax was a love interest of George’s, though she married George’s best friend George William Fairfax. This doesn’t cover specifically her, but she does get a little coverage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2u1krnUJi4

[Reily]

It was Sally Cary later Sally Fairfax.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_Fairfax

[DIRTYSECRET]

Thank you. She had an issue being the ‘southern belle’ kinda woman-boring. For those backstreet guys ‘fishing in troubled waters’ there’s quite an attraction.

[EvilCapitalist]

Sally doesn’t really get a mention in the link I sent to you until about the 36:30 mark.

[rlmorel]

This was historically quite accurate in points where they didn’t have to fill in events to dialogue where screen writers might have had to use artistic license.

There is a roundtable discussion on Amazon Prime which is free to watch that included the Director of the film and a number of people whose careers have included extensive study of George Washington’s life, and they were all satisfied.

Washington did have a more than friendly interest in the woman named Sally Cary Fairfax (who married into the Fairfax family).

Tender correspondence between the two that survives shows indications that Washington carried a flame for her his entire life, but it was never acted on by him beyond correspondence.

Many men and women do hold certain people in their hearts in the same way for their entire life. I know I did.

When I went to my 50th High School Reunion, I found myself talking with four other guys (including me) who had all had their hearts broken by the same girl, and had carried her in their hearts all those years!

[one guy in new jersey]

Washington was probably one of if not the finest athlete in British North America among his age cohort.

This due to his unique physique (remarkably tall, and also very wide-hipped), which, with years-on-end in the saddle, translated to unparalleled horsemanship.