1 month ago
EXCLUSIVE: In a competitory situation, Fifth Season has landed authorities to High Rise, nan 2025 thriller caller from bestselling Australian writer Gabriel Bergmoser. They’ve group Bergmoser to pen a characteristic adjustment and Patrick Hughes to direct, successful a reunion pinch Hidden Pictures and Huge Film pursuing their activity connected nan caller Netflix deed War Machine.
Billed arsenic Die Hard meets The Raid, High Rise follows a rogue ex-cop who tracks down his estranged girl to a grimy high-rise — only to find she doesn’t want to beryllium rescued, slightest of each by him. Before either tin react, nan full city’s criminal underworld descends connected nan building pinch a bounty connected his caput and nary interest for her survival. Floor by floor, a surgery begetter and girl must conflict their measurement done 15 stories of killers pinch only each different to trust on.
Hidden Pictures brought nan book to Huge Film, pinch nan 2 companies past taking it successful to Fifth Season. Todd Lieberman (The Housemaid, upcoming Voltron) and Alex Young will nutrient for Hidden Pictures, alongside Hughes and Greg McLean for Huge Film.
Hidden Pictures’ Young told us, “Todd and I are thrilled to beryllium moving pinch Patrick & Greg again aft having conscionable had specified a phenomenal acquisition making War Machine together. We emotion our clip making movies successful Australia and are excited to support Melbourne autochthonal Gabe Bergmoser successful bringing his action-packed book to nan large screen.”
Director-producer Hughes added, “We’re thrilled to beryllium partnering again pinch Hidden Pictures, it’s a narration we really value. High Rise besides gives america a chance to proceed championing Australian talent, which sits astatine nan bosom of Huge Film.”
An award-winning Melbourne-based writer and playwright, Bergmoser collapsed retired pinch nan 2016 young big caller Boone Shepard and 2020 big bestseller The Hunted, which is being prepped arsenic a movie directed by John Michael McDonagh. Since then, he has published respective acclaimed thrillers, including The Inheritance (2021), The Hitchhiker (2024), and High Rise (2025), nan Audible Original mystery-thriller Backstory (2025), on pinch YA coming-of-age caller The True Colour of a Little White Lie (2021) and nan middle-grade adventures Andromache Between Worlds (2024) and Andromache successful nan Dark (2025).
Bergmoser’s thriller caller The Caretaker (2023) — not to beryllium confused pinch Marcus Kliewer’s book of nan aforesaid name, being adapted for Universal, pinch David Bruckner freshly group to direct — has been picked up by Goalpost Pictures (The Invisible Man, The Sapphires) for a surface adjustment by nan penning squad of Alexei Mizin and Ryan Van Dijk (Watching You). His woody was brokered by Leslie Conliffe of Intellectual Property Group, which reps nan author, connected behalf of Tara Wynne and Curtis Brown Australia.
A sci-fi actioner starring Alan Ritchson, which marked nan debut accumulation from Huge Films, nan Australian accumulation institution led by Hughes, McLean, and James Beaufort, Hughes’ War Machine garnered 39.3 cardinal views successful its first 3 days connected Netflix successful March, holding nan No. 1 spot globally for 2 consecutive weeks, and reaching nan Top 10 successful 93 countries, and has now been viewed by complete 100 cardinal households. Currently astatine activity connected an untitled movie for Amazon MGM Studios, reuniting him pinch War Machine‘s Ritchson, who stars arsenic Navy SEAL turned Vietnam leader Mike Thornton, Hughes is besides known for his activity connected The Man from Toronto, The Hitman’s Bodyguard films, and The Expendables 3. He is repped by Range Media Partners.
In summation to War Machine, produced for Netflix and Lionsgate, Lieberman’s Hidden Pictures is coming disconnected their deed adjustment of Freida McFadden’s New York Times bestselling caller The Housemaid, starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, which grossed astir $400 cardinal successful its world theatrical run, opened astatine #1 connected PVOD and integer platforms, and quickly spawned a sequel that has group Kirsten Dunst for a cardinal role. Recently, Hidden Pictures has besides reteamed pinch Hughes connected his untitled Vietnam task for Amazon MGM, which is successful post. They’re besides presently cutting Voltron for nan studio.
Coming disconnected nan merchandise of films for illustration Anniversary, She Rides Shotgun, Nonnas, and A Working Man, Fifth Season’s upcoming slate includes bid for illustration Netflix’s East of Eden, arsenic good arsenic Apple TV’s The Savant, a hate-group-themed crime thriller whose merchandise was put disconnected pursuing nan assassination of Charlie Kirk, which prima Jessica Chastain has revealed will beryllium released successful July.
