Austin Butler has already found his next project. Deadline reports that the actor will star in an upcoming time travel story titled The Barrier, with 20th Century Studios winning the bidding war for the rights to distribute the project. The movie will be directed by Edward Berger. The package was certainly attractive for studios, considering how both Austin Butler and Edward Berger are enjoying the most successful periods of their respective careers. The Barrier will be based on a short story written by MacMillan Hedges. It’s time for Austin Butler to strike gold once again with an unusual premise that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats.
The plot of The Barrier remains under wraps. Edward Berger is ready to delight audiences once again after Conclave received many positive reviews this year. The mystery thriller starring Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci deals with the Vatican entering crisis mode after the Pope dies of a heart attack. Before diving deep into the mystery of Conclave, Berger worked on the development of All Quiet on the Western Front. The movie served as the third adaptation of the book of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque.
Austin Butler is signing on to star in The Barrier after making a statement on the big screen thanks to Dune: Part Two. The sequel directed by Denis Villeneuve introduced Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, a secondary villain who aimed to destroy Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and everything he stood for. Before that, Butler captured the imagination of the world with his portrayal of Elvis Presley. The stage has been set for Austin Butler to steal the spotlight in The Barrier. The mysterious time travel story will be launched in the near future.
20th Century Studios’ Upcoming Slate
The Barrier sounds like a very promising story, but 20th Century Studios has a lot to work on before the studio can get to the time travel adventure. The distributor will release Predator: Badlands next year. The sequel will capitalize on the success of Prey, a streaming movie directed by Dan Trachtenberg. After that, 20th Century Studios will release Avatar: Fire and Ash. The third installment of James Cameron‘s saga is expected to take over the global box office about a year from now. The Barrier will be in good company, with 20th Century Studios figuring out their marketing campaign for the adventure in the coming months.
A release date for The Barrier hasn’t been set for 20th Century Studios. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.