The Riders (film)

Not to be confused with The Rider (film) or Riders (1993 film).
The Riders
Directed byEdward Berger
Screenplay byDavid Kajganich
Based onThe Riders
by Tim Winton
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyFlorian Hoffmeister[1]
Production
companies
Distributed byA24
Countries
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
  • Germany
LanguageEnglish

The Riders is an upcoming psychological thriller film directed by Edward Berger. It is based on the 1994 novel by Tim Winton, being produced by Brad Pitt under his production company Plan B Entertainment. The film stars Pitt, Julianne Nicholson, Coco Greenstone, Michael Smiley, Danny Huston, Camille Cottin, and Ulrich Thomsen.

Premise

Fred Scully is a family man who has bought a farm house in Ireland and is renovating it while his wife Jennifer and 7-year-old daughter Billie are in their homeland Australia.

Cast

Production

Development

The rights to Tim Winton's novel The Riders were secured by Susie Brooks-Smith in 2000.[2] In 2004, Robert Fox signed on as producer. It was announced in 2012 that Sam Worthington was cast in the lead role, with Timothy Spall and Charles Dance in supporting roles. Brooks-Smith had adapted the screenplay with Michael Hirst and Francesca Brill, and Robert Connolly would direct.[3] It was later revealed that filming would soon begin in February 2013 in Korčula and Budapest, with a planned release date for February 2014, but the project did not proceed.[4] In February 2014, Hans Fabian Wullenweber was announced to replace Connolly as director, and Ronan Keating, Luke Hemsworth, and Mark Strong were all added to the cast, with Spall being the only original actor reported. Filming was set to begin in Dublin later that year.[5] However, just a couple of months later, Jahmil X.T. Qubeka was announced as the new director, and an entirely new cast consisting of Liam McIntyre, Pixie Davies, and Richard E. Grant were all set to appear. Pre-production was planned begin on May 29, 2014, with Umedia funding.[6] The film went into development hell for several years.

In 2018, it was reported that David Kajganich would adapt the novel and brought the film rights to Ridley Scott to produce through his Scott Free Productions company.[7] In April 2025, Brad Pitt signed on to star with Edward Berger directing from a screenplay by Kajganich. A24 would finance and distribute the film, with shooting commencing in early 2026,[8] In January 2026, Julianne Nicholson and Coco Greenstone joined the cast.[9] In February 2026, Michael Smiley, Danny Huston, Camille Cottin and Ulrich Thomsen joined the cast.[10] Lara Pulver and Kimonas Kouris were added to the cast a month later.[11]

Filming

Principal photography began on February 2, 2026 in Ireland.[12] The shooting will span several locations across the country, including areas around Dublin, Wicklow, Cork and Kerry.[13] The film is also set to continue shooting across mainland Europe, with confirmed sequences planned on the Greek island of Hydra.[13]

References

  1. ^ Florian Hoffmeister, Gözde Kural projects among 2026 Sofia Meetings selection
  2. ^ Minns, Adam (April 13, 2000). "Atherton commercials house gears up UK film arm". Screen Daily. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  3. ^ Gallagher, Phoebe (August 30, 2012). "Stealth has The Riders starring Sam Worthington". Moviehole. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  4. ^ Gibson, Lucy (September 7, 2012). "Star cast for Winton film". The West Australian. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  5. ^ Molumby, Deirdre (February 24, 2014). "Ronan Keating to star in 'The Riders'". IFTN. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  6. ^ MacNab, Geoffrey (May 16, 2014). "Spartacus star to lead Umedia's Riders". Screen Daily. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  7. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 8, 2018). "'Suspiria' Scribe David Kajganich Adapting 'The Riders' For Scott Free". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  8. ^ Kroll, Justin (April 28, 2025). "Brad Pitt & Edward Berger Team On 'The Riders' From Scott Free As A24 Boards To Distribute And Finance". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  9. ^ Julianne Nicholson And Coco Greenstone Join Brad Pitt In ‘The Riders’ From Edward Berger, Scott Free And A24
  10. ^ Edward Berger’s A24 Pic ‘The Riders’ Adds Michael Smiley, Danny Huston, Camille Cottin & Ulrich Thomsen To Cast
  11. ^ Grobar, Matt (March 19, 2026). "'The Riders' Movie At A24 Casts Lara Pulver And Kimonas Kouris". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  12. ^ Calnan, Ellie (February 6, 2026). "2026 film and high-end TV productions shooting in the UK and Ireland: latest updates". Screen Daily. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  13. ^ a b "Edward Berger's The Riders enters production in Ireland". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. February 11, 2026. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
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