“Bad B*tch,” an action-comedy vigilante thriller written and directed by Trenton McKay Judson (who also appears in the film), will premiere May 16 on Amazon Prime, Fandango at Home and cable networks. The film is being distributed globally by Buffalo 8.

The film stars Erica Boozer (“Pledge,” “Ghost Warrior”), as JoJo, “a small-town builder and philosopher who transforms into a bat-wielding vigilante after her best friend is assaulted by the town’s corrupt powerbroker,” according to promotional material. Also appearing are Terry Kiser (“Weekend at Bernies”) and Lar Park-Lincoln (“Knot’s Landing”).

The concept for the film was born from Judson’s observation that, while there are female-led films featuring vigilante justice that match their male-led counterparts punch for punch in the action department, the female characters at the center of these stories are often not handled with the same level of care or depth.

Instead, they’re presented as weak or lacking in ambition prior to their instigating event. It’s a trend that was at odds with Judson’s personal experience with strong women.

“In my life, prior to my son being born — which was only about 16, 17 months ago — everyone immediately in my life for the most part, at least 90%, is a woman,” Judson said. “My mom was a single mom from four. My dad didn’t get back into my life until I was a teenager. So, I’ve had just primarily women in my life.”

For Judson — who was raised in Bountiful and spent the better part of two decades in the Ogden area before moving to Texas — presenting a dynamic female hero that mirrored the people in his own life was something to aspire to.

“My intention was to create a character more like the people that I know, like my mom or my sister, or my mentor of the last 10 years here in Texas, who’s now the president of the university that I work at,” Judson said. “It was more dynamic, right? But they could also be, you know, kick ass and all of those things, just in the same way that a lot of the male protagonists had.”

From there, the journey from concept to script to fully realized production and a global release was remarkably swift.

The process began in 2022 via a conversation with a friend about the shortfalls of female-led vigilante films, after which the script was written over a period of three to four months. Eventually — by way of his friend’s yoga class — the script found its way into the hands of a veteran cinematographer who would champion the project.

“She said, ‘You know, you really remind me of Trenton. He’s got this project he wants to make. Will you read it?’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll read it,'” Judson recounted. “He read it in a day. He called me and he said, ‘Let’s make this film.'”

The film was ultimately shot over a period of just seven days, which were preceded by three days of fight choreography. The happy accidents continued when, almost on a lark, Judson asked his friend, Grammy Award-winning producer Amir Windom, to come on board — and he agreed to do so as an executive producer.

As he embarked on the production, Judson endeavored to embrace an array of viewpoints and personalities behind the camera, employing people of color and those of nontraditional backgrounds wherever possible.

“I always want to have the most diverse team that I can. And, what I mean by that, it can be race, gender, background, all of that, just because it brings more ideas; it makes it much more fresh,” Judson said. “If we all come from the same place and have the same beliefs, then it can kind of be a creative dead end. So, it’s important for me to do that.”

While he had acted and written novels and other scripts prior to bringing “Bad B*tch” to life, being an auteur filmmaker was never the plan for Judson, particularly as a 40-something. Now, though, he feels as though he’s found his flow, and he’s already hard at work on his next project.

“That’s one thing that I’ve learned from this film,” Judson said. “I thought I wanted to be an actor — and I do act in this; I’m the villain in the picture — but I don’t want to act anymore. After directing one day, I knew that’s what I want to do.”