Brad Pitt unites with Edward Berger and A24 for long-delayed adaptation of 'The Riders'

Brad Pitt has been active in the film industry for several decades and has worked with several studios. He has now joined hands with A24, known for backing a certain kind of films, for an Edward Berger directorial. Berger is known for helming films like All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave.

The film in question is called The Riders and has been in development hell for 25 years, according to Collider. Let us find out more details about the project that had been stuck for over two decades. This will be Brad Pitt's first film with A24.

Brad Pitt teams up with Edward Berger for A24's The Riders

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Brad Pitt will work with German director Edward Berger for The Riders. The film is an adaptation of Tim Winton's namesake book, originally published in 1994, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. The film has been in development hell since 2000, when its rights were bought by the UK-based Susie Brooks-Smith, who headed Cylo Film. In 2012, Sam Worthington was cast as the protagonist Fred Scully, along with Charles Dance and Timothy Spall. The film went into the back burner with director Robert Connolly getting replaced by Hans Fabian Wullenweber. The cast also saw a significant change with Worthington, Dance, and Spall being replaced by Mark Strong, Ronan Keating, and Liam Hemsworth. However, this project, too, did not take off. Next, Jahmil X.T. Qubeka came on board as the director, with the cast featuring Richard E. Grant, Liam McIntyre, and Pixie Davies. However, just as earlier attempts, the film did not materialize.

In 2018, Ridley Scott had the book's rights, and Brad Pitt eventually came on board as lead actor. David Kajganich, writer and producer who has collaborated with Scott on The Terror, will now be involved with the project, which is finally seeing the light of day. A24 will back the project. The studio has been behind projects like Everything Everywhere All At Once, Hereditary, Uncut Gems, and Lady Bird, among others.

The film is about a man who moves to a farmhouse in Ireland with his family. His wife and daughter leave for Australia in order to liquidate their assets. However, his daughter returns later, unable to explain anything. The rest of the story is about the man trying to find the answers.

Berger has also helmed the psychological thriller The Ballad of a Small Player, which is expected to drop on Netflix later this year. Pitt, meanwhile, was last seen in the action comedy Wolfs. His forthcoming film includes Joseph Kosinski's sports action drama F1, where he plays an F1 racer. Heart of the Beast, his next project, is an action adventure directed by David Ayer. Pitt has worked with Ayer in the war film Fury.

The movie version of The RIders should generate excitement among fans of the star and those who have read the novel. The long delay might just have helped garner hype.

Are you excited about The Riders?