Brad Pitt teams with Conclave director for new A24 movie

Brad Pitt remains Hollywood royalty, so it’s still a big deal whenever he signs on for a project.

Per Deadline, Pitt and Conclave director Edward Berger will collaborate on The Riders, a film adaptation of Tim Winton’s 1994 novel. David Kajganich, the screenwriter of Bones and All, will pen the script. Once Pitt committed to starring in and producing the movie, it led to a competitive bidding war between studios that A24 ultimately won.

The Riders follows Fred Scully (Pitt), a man who moves to Ireland from Australia with his wife, Jennifer, and young daughter, Billie. After renovating the house alone, Scully goes to the airport to pick up his wife and daughter, but only Billie arrives. With no explanation for her disappearance, Scully and Bille traverse Europe looking for Jennifer.

Production is expected to begin in early 2026, with shoots planned in multiple European locations. Producers include Pitt, Kajganich, Berger, Ridley Scott, Michael Pruss, Jeremy Kleiner, and Dede Gardner.

Pitt is about to embark on a busy summer that starts with the promotional tour for F1, the anticipated Formula One racing movie from Top Gun: Maverick’s Joseph Kosinski. Pitt plays a retired driver who comes out of retirement to join the Apex Grand Prix team and mentor their hotshot rookie, Joshua “Noah” Pearce (Damson Idris). F1 opens in theaters on June 27.

After F1, Pitt will reprise the role of Cliff Booth for The Continuing Adventures of Cliff Booth. David Fincher will direct for Netflix from a screenplay by Quentin Tarantino. Pitt won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for playing Booth in Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood. Production is expected to begin sometime this summer. Leonardo DiCaprio’s involvement remains unresolved, as the One Battle After Another star negotiates his rate with Netflix.

Berger is fresh off the Oscar-winning papal thriller, Conclave, which grossed over $116 million worldwide on a $20 million budget. Berger’s next movie, The Ballad of a Small Player with Colin Farrell and Tilda Swinton, will likely premiere at a fall festival before receiving a release date later this year.