George Clooney to produce “Pioneer” conspiracy thriller remake

PanARMENIAN.Net - Sony Pictures is in negotiations to pick up the remake rights of Norwegian thriller Pioneer for an adaptation to be produced by George Clooney and Grant Heslov and their Smokehouse banner, The Hollywood Reporter said.

The duo are coming off the opening of their latest pic, The Monuments Men, which opened Feb. 7 with $22 million. Clooney, who directed Monuments, is not attached to direct at this stage.

Pioneer is a conspiracy thriller set in the early 1980s during Norway’s oil boom and centered on a man who, along with his brother, is laying pipeline in the North Sea, diving deeper than anyone else had before. When a tragic accident strikes, he tries to get to the bottom of it (no pun intended), and realizes he’s in way over his head and that his life is in danger.

The movie was directed by Erik Skjoldbjaerg and released in Norway about the same time it had a special screening at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. It starred Aksel Hennie and also featured Wes Bentley and Stephen Lang.

Sony's Elizabeth Cantillon will oversee the project. The studio and producers will now look to hire a writer to write the English-language remake.