Oscar Winner Edward Berger Strikes a Chord with Stradivarius Movie at Netflix

Edward Berger is not taking breathers. He just kicked off shooting on one starry drama and is already lining up the next one at Netflix. Busy guy, wildly varied taste.

So, what is 'Stradivarius'?

Berger is attached to direct 'Stradivarius' for Netflix, a period drama set in 18th-century Northern Italy where the two top violin makers go head-to-head trying to craft the perfect instrument. Yes, it is exactly the kind of hyper-specific, niche rivalry that tends to make for great drama. Stradi-what-now? Think legendary violins, obsessive artisans, and a lot of pride on the line.

The script comes from Tony Award winner Itamar Moses, who sold the pitch to Netflix and is writing it himself. If the name rings a bell, Moses also worked on 'Boardwalk Empire' and 'The Affair'.

Meanwhile, Berger is already filming 'The Riders'

Cameras started rolling earlier this week on 'The Riders'. Brad Pitt stars as Fred Scully, with Julianne Nicholson and Coco Greenstone playing his wife and daughter. The setup: after two years bumming around Europe, Scully lands in Ireland with his family. On a spur-of-the-moment urge from his wife Jennifer, they buy a ramshackle farmhouse that literally sits in the shadow of a castle. Scully stays behind for weeks to renovate while Jennifer heads back to Australia to sell off their stuff. When he goes to Shannon Airport to pick up Jennifer and their 7-year-old daughter, Billie, only Billie walks off the plane — alone. No note, no explanation. Billie is so rattled she can’t speak, and Scully’s world collapses on the spot.

The film is based on Tim Winton’s novel, with a script by David Kajganich ('Bones and All').

• Cast: Brad Pitt ('F1') as Fred Scully; Julianne Nicholson ('Paradise') as Jennifer; Coco Greenstone ('Windcatcher') as Billie
• Also starring: Michael Smiley ('Bad Sisters'), Danny Huston ('The Aviator'), Camille Cottin ('Call My Agent!'), Ulrich Thomsen ('Lanterns')
• Source material: the novel 'The Riders' by Tim Winton
• Screenwriter: David Kajganich ('Bones and All')

Berger’s recent run

Berger won the Oscar for Best International Film with 'All Quiet on the Western Front', and his follow-up 'Conclave' kept the awards momentum going with nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, and more. His next film after that, 'Ballad of a Small Player', didn’t hit as broadly, but critic Chris Bumbray was firmly in its corner, calling it:

'destined to build a cult following.'

Put it all together and the 'Stradivarius' news feels like a sharp, classy pivot: prestige period storytelling, a juicy artisan rivalry, and a writer who knows his way around character and tension. We’ll see who picks up the bows — casting should be fun on this one.