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The Riders (film)

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The Riders
Directed byEdward Berger
Screenplay byDavid Kajganich
Based on
The Riders
by Tim Winton
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyFlorian Hoffmeister[1]
Production
companies
[2]
Distributed byA24
Countries
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
  • Ireland
  • Belgium
  • 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, Rosie Anne O'Gorman and Ulrich Thomsen.

Premise

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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. When his wife disappears without explanation after a trip to Australia, Fred is left with his traumatized 7-year-old daughter and must travel across Europe searching for answers.

Cast

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Production

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Development

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The rights to Tim Winton's novel The Riders were secured by Susie Brooks-Smith in 2000.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6] 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. 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 Coco Greenstone and Rosie Anne O'Gorman 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

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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, Kerry, and Laois.[13][14] The film is also set to continue shooting across mainland Europe, with confirmed sequences planned on the Greek island of Hydra.[13] In March, production moved to the canals of Amsterdam in the Netherlands,[15] followed by several locations in Belgium, including Brussels[16][17] and Heverlee[18]. Further filming took place on the heritage railway between Puurs and Dendermonde[19].

References

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  1. ↑ Florian Hoffmeister, Gözde Kural projects among 2026 Sofia Meetings selection
  2. ↑ "The Riders". VFX Callsheet. Retrieved September 12, 2026.
  3. ↑ Minns, Adam (April 13, 2000). "Atherton commercials house gears up UK film arm". Screen Daily. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. ↑ Gibson, Lucy (September 7, 2012). "Star cast for Winton film". The West Australian. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  6. ↑ Molumby, Deirdre (February 24, 2014). "Ronan Keating to star in 'The Riders'". IFTN. 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. 1 2 "Edward Berger's The Riders enters production in Ireland". Cineuropa. February 11, 2026. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Pitt stop in Co Laois for Oscar winner's new film". RTÉ. May 6, 2026. Retrieved May 6, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ↑ "Brad Pitt gespot op Herengracht voor opnames Hollywoodfilm". AT5. March 24, 2026. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  16. ↑ Times, The Brussels. "Where in Brussels has Brad Pitt been spotted?". www.brusselstimes.com. Retrieved September 12, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Brad Pitt in Brussel: Kartuizersstraat afgesloten voor filmopname". www.bruzz.be (in Dutch). Retrieved September 12, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Hollywoodster Brad Pitt duikt op aan schaatsbaan in Heverlee voor opname van nieuwe film 'The Riders'". ROBtv (in Belgian Dutch). Retrieved September 12, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Brad Pitt gespot op stoomtrein tussen Puurs en Dendermonde voor filmopnames | RTV". www.rtv.be (in Dutch). Retrieved September 12, 2026.
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