20th Century Wins Pre-Holiday Bidding War For Edward Berger & Austin Butler’s Time Travel Film ‘The Barrier’ Based On MacMillan Hedges Short Story
EXCLUSIVE: In a highly competitive situation, 20th looks to have found something to be thankful for as it has landed rights to The Barrier, the hot time-travel package teaming All Quiet on the Western Front helmer Edward Berger and Elvis Oscar nominee Austin Butler. Based on the short story by MacMillan Hedges, Deadline first reported that package was hitting the market before Thanksgiving holiday last Wednesday and had every major bidder in town chasing.
Insiders say the package had 11 studios chasing it with 20th landing winning bid and while exact details are unknown sources say the sale came in around the seven figure range for the rights as well as for Hedges to adapt.
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Disney Live-Action And 20th Century Studio President David Greenbaum was very hands on in the process and insiders say one of the big selling points was a blind script deal for another project for Hedges down the road. Given the broad library he could choose from, that element became the differentiator that ultimately won Disney the package. 20th Century’s Steve Asbell and Scott Aversano were also heavily involved in negotiations.
This marks another massive victory for the studio and Greenbaum who earlier this year landed another high-profile package, the Bruce Springsteen pic Deliver Me From Nowhere starring Jeremy Allen White. That package also had a number of suitors but yet again, 20th Century and Greenbaum went all in and landed that film as well. Like Deliver Me From Nowhere, this package lines up with what Greenbaum wants for 20th, a film that embodies commercial, global theatrical and prestige with a-list talent and original filmmaking.
Based on a short story by Hedges, the film’s plot is being kept under wraps. But sources have described the project as Interstellar meets Top Gun. Berger will direct from a script by Hedges and produce alongside the author, with Butler to star and exec produce.
Berger, the German-born filmmaker behind Netflix’s Oscar winner All Quiet on the Western Front, is currently in the awards race with Conclave, his Ralph Fiennes-led papal thriller for Focus Features, which adapts the 2016 novel by Robert Harris. Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini are among the other stars of the film, which hit U.S. theaters at the end of October after launching out of Telluride. While out on the awards circuit, Berger is completing post on The Ballad of a Small Player, his gambling drama starring Colin Farrell and Tilda Swinton, which marks another collaboration with Netflix.
Currently filming Darren Aronofsky’s Sony thriller Caught Stealing, based on the book by Charlie Huston, Butler will next be seen starring opposite Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal and Emma Stone in Ari Aster’s Eddington for A24. His release slate this year included a scene-stealing villain turn opposite Timothée Chalamet in Dune: Part Two, Jeff Nichols’s The Bikeriders opposite Tom Hardy and Apple TV+’s Masters of the Air.
Up-and-comer Hedges made the Black List twice with his scripts The Searchers and Cosmic Sunday. He sold the sci-fi tentpole spec Relay to producer Neal H. Moritz and has the film Tilt in development with Chernin.
Berger is represented by Range Media Partners, CAA, Casarotto Ramsay & Associates in the UK and Jackoway Austen Tyerman. Butler is repped by WME, Anonymous Content, and Sloane Offer Weber & Dern. Hedges is with WME, Entertainment 360, and Granderson Des Rochers.
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