Oscar-winning actor Brad Pitt is collaborating with acclaimed filmmaker Edward Berger for The Riders, an upcoming A24 feature based on Tim Winton’s Booker Prize-shortlisted novel. Production is slated to begin in early 2026, bringing together some of the most influential names in contemporary cinema for a project rooted in literary prestige and creative pedigree.
A Journey Through Grief and Mystery
Adapted by screenwriter David Kajganich, The Riders follows a father and daughter as they travel across Europe in search of their missing wife and mother. Originally published in 1995, the novel earned critical acclaim for its emotionally layered storytelling and stark exploration of familial loss and personal reckoning. Kajganich’s previous credits include Bones and All and The Terror, the latter being a series he worked on with Berger.
The film is being co-produced by Brad Pitt through Plan B Entertainment, alongside Jeremy Kleiner and Dede Gardner. Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions is also involved, with Scott and Michael Pruss producing. Berger’s own Nine Hours banner rounds out the production team, highlighting a multinational collaboration behind the project.
Edward Berger and Brad Pitt: Busy Slates and Creative Alignments
Edward Berger continues to attract international attention following the global success of All Quiet on the Western Front, which won the Academy Award for Best International Feature. He recently wrapped The Ballad of a Small Player for Netflix and directed the Vatican-set thriller Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes and John Lithgow.
Brad Pitt, meanwhile, recently appeared in Wolfs, an Apple Original Films action comedy directed by Jon Watts and co-starring George Clooney. He is also part of F1, a high-octane Formula One drama directed by Top Gun: Maverick’s Joseph Kosinski and produced in collaboration with Formula 1 and Apple. In addition, he is attached to The Continuing Adventures of Cliff Booth, a Netflix project based on Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, with David Fincher directing and Tarantino penning the script.
While official casting details for The Riders have yet to be announced, Pitt is confirmed as a co-producer through his Plan B banner.
A24’s Consistent Backing of Auteur Cinema
A24 continues to build on its reputation as a hub for auteur-driven storytelling. The studio’s upcoming slate includes Materialists directed by Celine Song, featuring Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal, The Smashing Machine starring Dwayne Johnson, and Marty Supreme, a ping-pong-centric film from Josh Safdie and Timothée Chalamet.
Earlier in 2025, A24 released titles such as Opus starring Ayo Edebiri, Death of a Unicorn featuring Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega, and Warfare, a dystopian thriller by Alex Garland. While not all found mainstream commercial success, the films contributed to the studio’s consistent focus on original and boundary-pushing narratives.
A Literary Classic Reimagined for the Screen
With its foundation in a Booker Prize-shortlisted novel, a production team anchored by award-winning talent, and direction from one of Europe’s most respected filmmakers, The Riders is shaping up to be a major addition to A24’s growing catalog of prestigious cinema. As production moves forward in 2026, anticipation is building around how the adaptation will translate Winton’s deeply introspective novel for the screen.
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