Austin Butler is set to star in Edward Berger’s new film The Barrier. The film is based on a short story written by MacMillan Hedges. While the plot remains under wraps, the story reportedly involves time travel and has been described as an Interstellar-meets-Top Gun project. Buzz surrounding the film is expected to generate competitive bidding as Butler and Berger continue rising in Hollywood.
The German-born director has been in high demand since his 2022 Netflix film All Quiet on the Western Front. Starring Felix Kammerer and Stanislaus Katczinsky, the adaptation earned a 90% critics and audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film won four Oscars, including Best International Feature Film.
Berger’s latest film Conclave is competing in this awards season. The thriller, starring Ralph Fiennes, is based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris and explores the papal and political intrigue of the Pope’s secretive selection process. Berger will direct The Barrier and produce it alongside Hedges. Butler will also serve as an executive producer.
Butler received critical acclaim for his chilling performance as Feyd-Rautha in Denis Villeneuve’s science fiction epic Dune: Part Two. While audiences eagerly await his next sci-fi project, Butler fans can look forward to his work in the historical genre as well.
Most recently, he portrayed Major Gale “Buck” Cleven in Steven Spielberg’s Apple TV+ miniseries Masters of the Air. The show, based on the story of the 100th Bomb Group in World War II, has been praised by historians for its accurate depiction. The series also stars Callum Turner and Anthony Boyle. In 2023, Butler starred in The Bikeriders as Benny, a member of a Midwestern motorcycle club in the 1960s. Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy also featured in the film. Butler will soon team up with Tom Holland in American Speed, a film based on the real-life story of the Whittington brothers and their involvement in race car driving and drug smuggling.
MacMillan Hedges is an up-and-coming screenwriter. According to his IMDb page, Hedges has two other projects in development—Cosmic Sunday and The Searchers—both of which made The Black List.
Berger is represented by CAA, Casarotto Ramsay & Associates in the UK and Range Media Partners. Butler is represented by WME, Anonymous Content and Sloane Offer Weber & Dern. Hedges is represented by WME, Entertainment 360 and Granderson Des Roches.
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