Edward Berger, fresh from his Bafta-winning papal thriller Conclave, has signed on to direct Brad Pitt in a long-awaited film adaptation of Tim Winton's 1994 novel The Riders. The project, produced by Ridley Scott and financed by A24, will be written by David Kajganich, a frequent collaborator of Luca Guadagnino.
The novel follows an Australian man who arrives at Shannon Airport with his wife and seven-year-old daughter for a planned move to Ireland, but only the daughter emerges, traumatised and unable to explain her mother's disappearance. The father and daughter then travel across Europe, retracing their previous steps in search of the missing woman.
Set in December 1987, the story incorporates real-life events such as the resignation of Queensland's longest-serving premier and the Queen Street massacre, in which nine people died. A film version has been in development for 25 years, with actors including Sam Worthington, Timothy Spall, Charles Dance, Ronan Keating, Mark Strong and Richard E Grant previously attached.
Pitt will next appear in Joseph Kosinski's racing film F1, following his role in Top Gun: Maverick.
