Austin Butler Will Star in a New Time-Travel Thriller ‘The Barrier’ – Described as ‘Interstellar’ Meets ‘Top Gun’

Director Edward Berger, known for All Quiet on the Western Front, and Elvis Oscar nominee Austin Butler are teaming up for The Barrier, a time-travel film that’s creating a lot of excitement in the industry.

Based on a short story by MacMillan Hedges, details about the plot are being kept secret, but insiders are comparing it to Interstellar mixed with Top Gun. Berger will direct and produce, working from a script by Hedges, who is also producing.

Butler is set to star and will executive produce. The project hit the market on Wednesday, sparking interest from top executives just ahead of Thanksgiving.

Berger, who won four Oscars for All Quiet on the Western Front (including Best International Feature Film), is now one of the most sought-after directors. His latest movie, Conclave, a thriller starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini, debuted in U.S. theaters in October after premiering at Telluride.

Berger is also finishing work on The Ballad of a Small Player, a gambling drama featuring Colin Farrell and Tilda Swinton, for Netflix.

Austin Butler, currently filming Darren Aronofsky’s thriller Caught Stealing for Sony, has had a busy year. His roles include a villain in Dune: Part Two, The Bikeriders with Tom Hardy, and Apple TV+’s series Masters of the Air. He’ll next appear in Ari Aster’s Eddington, starring alongside Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, and Emma Stone.

Writer MacMillan Hedges is an up-and-coming talent, having twice made the Black List with his scripts The Searchers and Cosmic Sunday. His sci-fi spec Relay was sold to producer Neal H. Moritz, and he has another project, Tilt, in development with Chernin.

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