Brad Pitt is set to star in the A24 film, The Riders, with Edward Berger directing

Edward Berger is set to follow up his recent Best Picture-nominated Conclave with a new project starring Brad Pitt. Deadline reports that A24 will be financing and distributing the upcoming film The Riders with Pitt in the lead role. David Kajganich will adapt Tim Winton’s novel into the screenplay and Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions is also on board to produce the film. Scott will produce with Michael Pruss, as well as Kajganich and Berger for Nine Hours Productions, and Pitt, Jeremy Kleiner and Dede Gardner produce for Plan B Entertainment. 

Per Deadline, the film “follows Fred Scully (Pitt), who, after traveling through Europe for two years, winds up in Ireland with his wife and daughter. And on a mystical whim of his wife Jennifer, they buy an old farmhouse that stands in the shadow of a castle. While Scully spends weeks alone renovating the old house, Jennifer returns to Australia to liquidate their assets. When Scully arrives at Shannon Airport to pick up Jennifer and their 7-year-old daughter, Billie, it is Billie who emerges — alone. There is no note, no explanation, not so much as a word from Jennifer, and the shock has left Billie speechless. In that instant, Scully’s life falls to pieces.”

Kajganich brought the 1994 novel to Scott Free Productions around a decade ago, and the production company has been trying to develop the project since then. Berger, who had worked with Scott Free’s TV department on the AMC series The Terror, recently took an interest in the film. Kajganich created The Terror and Ridley Scott had executive produced, so this team already has quite a bit of history. The script of The Riders eventually found its way to Pitt, and once he decided he was going to take on the starring role, the project became one of the top packages hitting the film market this year. A24 continues to make its mark on modern cinema and aggressively pursued the project with a victory in the end.

Pitt was also announced to be returning as his character, Cliff Booth, from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in a semi-sequel with David Fincher directing. The project originated from Tarantino’s scrapped script for what would have been his tenth and final movie. Pitt was very interested in his character’s part, and asked Tarantino if he would let someone else take the helm of the project. The director responded that it would depend on who he had in mind. Enter David Fincher, who quickly earned Tarantino’s blessing.

The post Brad Pitt is set to star in the A24 film, The Riders, with Edward Berger directing appeared first on JoBlo.