Sony Acquires English-Language Remake Rights to Norwegian Thriller Pioneer

George Clooney and Grant Heslov (through Sony Pictures) have acquired the English-language remake rights to the 2013 Norwegian thriller Pioneer, which was picked up last year by Magnolia Pictures for distribution in the US. A director and screenwriter have yet to be named.

The Norwegian version, directed by Erik Skjoldbjærg from an original screenplay co-written with Hans Gunnarsson and Nikolaj Frobenius, is set in the early 1980s, at the beginning of the Norwegian oil boom. Enormous oil and gas deposits are discovered in the North Sea and the authorities aim to bring the oil ashore through a pipeline from depths of 500 meters. A professional diver, Petter (Aksel Hennie), obsessed with reaching the bottom of the Norwegian Sea, has the discipline, strength and courage to take on the world's most dangerous mission. But a sudden, tragic accident changes everything. Petter is sent on a perilous journey where he loses sight of who's pulling the strings. Gradually he realizes that he is in way over his head and that his life is at stake.