Robert Pattinson's 'The Rover' Acquired by A24

The distributor picked up U.S. rights to the futuristic thriller, directed by David Michod and also starring Guy Pearce.

A24 has acquired U.S. rights to David Michod’s thriller The Rover, starring Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson.

Set in a futuristic version of Australia following an economic collapse, the film centers on Pearce, who plays a loner traveling the Outback who teams up with Pattinson to track a gang of thieves.

Michod, who wrote and directed 2010’s Animal Kingdom, also wrote The Rover based on a story he and Joel Edgerton conceived. It was produced by Michod, Liz Watts for Porchlight Film and David Linde under his Lava Bear Films banner. The film co-stars Scoot McNairy, David Field, Anthony Hayes, Gillian Jones and Susan Prior. Natsha Braier served as director of photography, and Jo Ford, who also collaborated with Michod on Animal Kingdom, was production designer.

A24 will release The Rover theatrically in the U.S., while Village Roadshow will release it in Australia and New Zealand. The film’s investment partners include Screen Australia, the South Australian Film Corp. and Screen NSW, and financial partners Fulcrum Media and the Union Bank.

”A24 is a perfect fit for The Rover. A young, innovative and exciting company at the cutting edge of the independent sector in the U.S., they have contributed to an already exciting array of global distribution partners, and we are pleased to be partnering with them on the future release of the film,” producers Watts and Linde said.

A24 is distributing Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring and will open James Ponsoldt's The Spectacular Now on Aug. 2.

A24 negotiated the deal with UTA Independent Film Group on behalf of the filmmakers and FilmNation Entertainment. UTA also reps Michod. Before selling U.S. rights to A24, FilmNation Entertainment licensed the film to a majority of territories worldwide based on showing a two-minute reel of footage from the film.