Director Joe Wright is heading back to the big screen with a new survival thriller. The two-time BAFTA winner has signed on to direct an adaptation of Juice, the post-apocalyptic novel by Australian author Tim Winton, with Working Title Films producing.
The screenplay will be written by BAFTA and Emmy winner Abi Morgan, whose credits include The Hour, Shame, and The Iron Lady.
Juice is set in a fractured and ravaged world following a climate-change disaster. A young husband and father is recruited into a top-secret resistance organization, joining the ranks of militia men tasked with targeting the isolated and wealthy culprits responsible for this global catastrophe. When a mission goes wrong, he finds himself on the run, having to fight to the end to survive in this hostile world.
The novel blends survival thrills and a family story into what promises to be one of Wright’s darkest projects to date.
Wright has built his career on visually ambitious dramas, including Atonement, Pride & Prejudice, Anna Karenina, Darkest Hour, Hanna, Cyrano, and The Soloist. He has also been at the helm of the fairy tale adventure Pan and the psychological thriller The Woman in the Window. More recently, he directed episodes of The Agency.
While he’s best known for historical dramas and literary adaptations, Juice gives Wright the opportunity to tackle large-scale dystopian science fiction for the first time. His knack for character work could make the story’s emotional core just as compelling as its action.
Speaking about the project, Wright told Deadline, “I couldn’t be more thrilled that Tim Winton has entrusted us with his extraordinary epic. The story is both a thrilling modern family saga and an urgent call to action. I cannot wait for audiences to experience it on the big screen.“
Winton is no stranger to adaptations. Several of his novels, including Lockie Leonard, Breath, Dirt Music, The Turning, and Blueback, have already been adapted for film or television. His novel The Riders is also being adapted by A24, with Brad Pitt attached to star and Edward Berger directing.
Winton praised Wright’s involvement, saying “I’m pleased to know a filmmaker of Joe Wright’s caliber has chosen to adapt Juice for the screen. His capacity to portray the turmoil and the turning points of nations and peoples as well as private individuals distinguishes his work as a director, and I’m confident that Juice is in good hands.“
At this stage:
Casting news will likely be the next major update.
On paper, this seems like a fascinating pairing. Wright isn’t the obvious choice for a post-apocalyptic thriller, but that’s what makes the project interesting. His films tend to prioritize character over spectacle, and Juice sounds like a story that needs emotional weight as much as action. If Morgan can keep the novel’s intensity intact while Wright brings his signature visual style, this could be one of the more unique dystopian films in development.
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