Riding high on the successes of war drama All Quiet On The Western Front and papal conspiracy thriller Conclave, filmmaker Edward Berger has had his name linked to all sorts of eyebrow raising projects — from Ocean’s 14 to a new Bourne movie. But while both of those particular whispers seem to have proven premature, it does look like Berger is set to work with Ocean‘s alumni Brad Pitt after all, on a very different kind of joint to Steven Soderbergh’s heist flicks. According to Deadline, Berger will direct Pitt in an A24 adaptation of The Riders, Australian author Tim Winton’s Booker Prize nominated 1994 bestseller.
Winton’s book — which follows Australian father Fred Scully as he tries to uncover the reason why wife Jennifer has suddenly abandoned him and their seven-year-old daughter Billie, rendered mute by having been left to fly from Australia to Ireland on her own — has had a long journey to the big screen. As far back as 2000, Hollywood has been trying to adapt The Riders. In 2012 it looked like a movie starring Sam Worthington, Timothy Spall, and Charles Dance was in the offing; then, in 2014, Ronan Keating, Mark Strong, and Luke Hemsworth’s names were all thrown in the mix too. But now, seven years after screenwriter David Kajganich (Bones & All, Suspiria, The Terror) came aboard the adaptation with Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions, Berger and Pitt’s interest in the project has seen a feature take on The Riders finally pick up some real momentum. In fact, per Deadline‘s reporting, the buzzy film package sparked a bidding war in Tinseltown, with A24’s acquisition as leading tastemakers in the industry speaking volumes about what we may be in for here.
Though we don’t yet know who Pitt will play in the movie, it wouldn’t be crazy to presume he’s likely going to be Berger’s Scully, with the roles of Jennifer and Billie yet to be cast. The addition of The Riders to Pitt’s slate marks the latest booking in what’s been a pretty busy period for the two-time Oscar nominee, who not only has Joseph Kosinski directed racing joint F1 coming up this summer, but also a return to the world of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood for David Fincher’s The Continuing Adventures Of Cliff Booth heading into production soon. And with shooting on this Winton adaptation due to get underway across Europe in early 2026, it would be safe to say there’s no sign of a Pitt stop coming anytime soon. We’ll see ourselves out…
