Edward Berger to Direct Benedict Cumberbatch, Jake Gyllenhaal in Thriller ‘Rio’

By Dave McNary

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – “Patrick Melrose” director Edward Berger is re-teaming with Benedict Cumberbatch for the thriller “Rio” with Cumberbatch and Jake Gyllenhaal producing and starring.

“Call Me by Your Name” helmer Luca Guadagnino had been attached last year to direct “,” but fell out due to scheduling commitments. Production companies Studiocanal, Sunnymarch, and Nine Stories confirmed the attachments of Berger, Cumberbatch, and Gyllenhaal on Friday.

Producers on “Rio” are Cumberbatch and Adam Ackland through SunnyMarch, and Gyllenhaal and Riva Marker through Nine Stories. Ron Halpern and Shana Eddy are overseeing for Studiocanal.

The story, written by Steven Knight, centers on two old friends who meet again in Rio de Janeiro — one, a journalist played by Gyllenhaal, and the other, a hugely successful financier, portrayed by Cumberbatch.

Berger and Cumberbatch collaborated on the five-episode Showtime miniseries “Patrick Melrose,” which is up for five Emmys. Berger also directed the first two hours of AMC’s “The Terror” and the series “Deutschland 83,” which won the International Emmy in 2016.

Knight received an Oscar nomination for his “Dirty Pretty Things” screenplay. He’s the creator and executive producer of “Peaky Blinders” and directed the movies “Hummingbird,” “Locke,” and “Serenity” from his own scripts.

Berger is represented by ICM Partners, Anonymous Content, and Casarotto Ramsay & Associates Ltd. Gyllenhaal and Nine Stories are represented by WME and Bloom Hergott. Cumberbatch is repped by UTA and Conway van Gelder Grant. Knight is repped by CAA and United Agents. The news was first reported by Deadline Hollywood.