20th Century Studios has won the rights to The Barrier, an upcoming sci-fi flick directed by Edward Berger and starring Austin Butler.
What’s Happening:
- Deadline exclusively reports that 20th Century Studios has won a competitive bidding war for The Barrier, a new time travel film based on a short story by MacMillan Hedges.
- The new project, starring Elvis’ Austin Butler and directed by All Quiet on the Western Front’s Edward Berger, had 11 studios bidding for the package, with 20th landing the deal in a reported seven figure purchase of the rights.
- Hedges is set to adapt the story as part of the package.
- According to the newsource, Disney Live-Action and 20th Century Studios President David Greenbaum was heavily involved in the bidding with Greenbaum offering a blind script deal for another project from Hedges in the future. 20th Century’s Steve Asbell and Scott Aversano were also involved in the deal.
- It is expected that the blind script deal was the selling point for choosing Disney.
- This is another huge project 20th Century Studios, with Greenbaum landing the Bruce Springsteen feature Deliver Me From Nowhere starring Jeremy Allen White.
- While the film is based on Hedges’ short story, plot details are being kept tight to Disney’s chest. However, insiders have compared the project to Interstellar and Top Gun.
- Hedges and Berger are set to produce with Butler executive producing.
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