‘Fear is the Rider’: Abbey Lee, Christopher Abbott to Lead Australian Thriller!!

BAFTA nominee John Michael McDonagh has scored his next film, titled Fear is the Rider, according to Deadline. The film, which is described as a thriller set in the Outback of Australia, is set to star Abbey Lee and Christopher Abbott. The Exchange is currently shopping the film internationally.

Fear is the Rider is based on the novel of the same name by Kenneth Cook. Abbott will portray John Shaw, a photojournalist who decides to tour the Outback and shoot the cave paintings present there, accompanied by a woman (Lee). The brief synopsis is as follows:

“Fear is the Rider tells the story of John Shaw (Abbott), a photojournalist who arrives in Australia trying to recover from his experiences reporting on the Vietnam War. After meeting a young woman (Lee) in a small-town bar, he decides to detour into the Outback to photograph cave paintings. Out there, under the baking sun, people can die within hours. But the elements are not the most hazardous thing in the bush, and Shaw and his mysterious companion soon find themselves caught up in an unrelenting fight for survival.”

McDonagh, older brother of fellow director Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), recently released The Forgiven, which premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival and is currently available to stream on Netflix. That film starred Ralph Fiennes, Jessica Chastain, Matt Smith, and Caleb Landry Jones. He is a frequent collaborator of Brendan Gleeson and Aidan Gillen. Both Lee and Abbott could also now be included on that list, as they also appeared in The Forgiven.

Lee was most recently seen by audiences as Chrystal in M. Night Shymalan‘s Old. She also appeared in Lovecraft Country opposite Jonathan Majors and Jurnee Smollett. Her first major film role came in George Miller‘s 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road. Abbott is perhaps best known for his role as Charlie Dattolo on HBO‘s Girls. He also had roles in Damien Chazelle‘s Neil Armstrong biopic First Man, Vox Lux, and Black Bear. Yorgos Lanthimos has also tapped the actor for a role in his upcoming film Poor Things, where he will feature opposite Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Ramy Youssef.