United Artists and Scott Stuber have assembled a hot package that’ll have Edward Berger directing a film about Evan Gershkovich— the first American journalist to be arrested in Russia since the Cold War. Amazon/MGM will likely back the film.
The script is to be written by David Weil (“Citadel”) and will in all likelihood be Berger’s next film. I’ve heard Berger’s other greenlit project, “The Barrier,” won’t be shot until next year since its star, Austin Butler, will be too busy shooting other projects this year.
Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal foreign correspondent, spent a year in a Russian prison on “fabricated espionage charges” after being arrested by the FSS. Russia continues to vehemently defend its decision and claim he worked for the CIA.
Gershkovich, who worked for seven years as a WSJ foreign correspondent in Moscow, continues to maintain his innocence and that he was unjustly imprisoned by the Russians. Last year, he was released in a prisoner swap.
After his Netflix 2022 WWI epic “All Quiet on the Western Front,” which won four Oscars, the German-born Berger turned into one of the most sought-after directors in Hollywood. Who’d a thunk it. He’s coming off the acclaimed papal drama “Conclave,” which recently earned 8 Oscar nominations, including for Best Picture.
It doesn’t end there. Berger recently wrapped shooting “The Ballad of a Small Player,” a gambling drama starring Colin Farrell and Tilda Swinton, for Netflix — it’s expected to hit the fall festival circuit in September.
Berger is so hot right now that rumors had been swirling around his potential involvement in directing the next James Bond, ‘Ocean’s’ and ‘Bourne’ movies — he’s only confirmed his involvement in ‘Bourne’ and denied reports pertaining to the other two.
Yes, Berger has all of a sudden become a hotshot director. Yet, before he broke out with “All Quiet on the Western Front,” he had directed 2014’s “Jack” and 2019’s underseen “All My Loving,” which THR described as having “as much teeth and personality as a gummy bear.” He also helmed a handful of barely reviewed German films, including the peculiarly titled 2001 dramedy “Female2 Seeks Happy End.”