Joe Wright to Direct Tim Winton's Climate-Disaster Thriller “Juice” for Working Title Films

Two-time BAFTA-winning director Joe Wright has been hired to helm a feature film adaptation of Tim Winton’s post-apocalyptic novel *Juice*. Working Title Films, the UK studio that secured the rights, will produce the project, with BAFTA-Emmy winner Abi Morgan attached as screenwriter. Wright’s most recent credit is the Showtime series *The Agency*.

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*Juice* imagines a world shattered by climate-change disaster. A young husband and father is recruited into a secret resistance tasked with targeting isolated, wealthy culprits. After a botched mission, he becomes a fugitive, forced to survive in a hostile landscape. The story blends a family drama with an urgent environmental warning.

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The adaptation brings together director Joe Wright, known for *Atonement* and *Darkest Hour*; screenwriter Abi Morgan, acclaimed for *The Hour* and *Shame*; and author Tim Winton, whose works include *Cloudstreet* and *Blueback* and who has twice been shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Working Title Films, represented by CAA and led by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, will produce.

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Working Title Films maintains a library of over 150 films and TV programs that have earned more than $9 billion worldwide. Its accolades include ten Oscar Best Picture nominations, fifteen Academy Awards, sixteen Golden Globes and forty-one BAFTA Awards, alongside numerous Cannes and Berlin honors.

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Wright called the project a “thrilling modern family saga” and an “urgent call to action,” expressing eagerness for audience reception. Winton praised Wright’s capacity to portray national and personal turmoil, affirming confidence in the adaptation’s stewardship.

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> “I couldn’t be more thrilled that Tim Winton has entrusted us with his extraordinary epic,” said Wright. “The story is both a thrilling modern family saga and an urgent call to action. I cannot wait for audiences to experience it on the big screen.” — Joe Wright, Director

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> “I’m pleased to know a filmmaker of Joe Wright’s caliber has chosen to adapt Juice for the screen. His capacity to portray the turmoil and the turning points of nations and peoples as well as private individuals distinguishes his work as a director, and I’m confident that Juice is in good hands.” — Tim Winton, Author

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The adaptation taps into rising audience interest in climate-change stories, offering a high-profile vehicle to examine the social fallout of environmental collapse. Wright’s cinematic style and Working Title’s distribution reach could amplify the novel’s warning to a global viewership.

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The film is in development, with Morgan drafting the screenplay. Pre-production, including casting and location scouting, is slated for later 2026, positioning the project for a potential 2028 release pending financing and production timelines.

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