Austin Butler teams up with Edward Berger for time-travel thriller, ‘The Barrier’

Austin Butler
| Photo Credit: Evan Agostini

Academy Award nominee Austin Butler is set to star in and executive produce The Barrier, a new time-travel thriller directed by Edward Berger, the acclaimed filmmaker behind All Quiet on the Western Front. The project, described as a hybrid of Interstellar and Top Gun, is generating significant buzz and is poised to spark a competitive bidding war among major studios and streamers.

Based on a short story by MacMillan Hedges, the film’s plot remains under wraps. Berger will direct from a screenplay written by Hedges, who will also produce alongside the director. Butler will be involved as both lead actor and executive producer.

This marks Berger’s next high-profile endeavor following the critical and commercial success of All Quiet on the Western Front, which won four Academy Awards, including Best International Feature Film. Berger is currently in the awards race with Conclave, a papal thriller starring Ralph Fiennes, and has other projects in development, including The Ballad of a Small Player, featuring Colin Farrell and Tilda Swinton.

Butler, known for his Oscar-nominated turn in Elvis, has had a standout year with roles in Dune: Part Two, The Bikeriders, and Apple TV+’s Masters of the Air.