Cannes: ‘No Time to Die’ Star Billy Magnussen Teaming With Ben Affleck’s ‘Air’ Producers on Directorial Debut ‘The Ridge’ (Exclusive)

Billy Magnussen (No Time to Die, Game Night, Bridge of Spies) is set to make his feature directorial debut with the survival thriller The Ridge.

Magnussen will also star in the film alongside Lamorne Morris (Fargo, Woke), Chace Crawford (The Boys, Gossip Girl) and Jordan Firstman (You People, Rotting in the Sun). Produced by Mandalay Pictures (Ben Affleck’s Air), Highland Film Group is launching international sales at Cannes.

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Written by Mike Anderson, John Clavier and Will Lowell, from a story by Magnussen, Anderson and Clavier, The Ridge follows Dez (Morris), a sensitive city dweller who travels to Wyoming with his friends (Crawford and Firstman) to meet his fiancé’s brother — and true outdoorsman — Grady (Magnussen). When Grady puts Dez to the test, it sets the two men at odds with one another, and they engage in an explosive feud that causes their truck to crash and tumble from a ridge. Leaving the men injured in the wilderness and fighting against the harsh elements, they must set aside their differences and band together in order to make it out alive.

“Having spent years in front of the camera, I’m thrilled to be bringing everything I’ve learned to the table as I direct this project which is close to my heart, alongside the great group of people over at Mandalay Pictures and Highland Film Group,” said Magnussen.

The film is produced by Jason Michael Berman and Jordan Moldo from Mandalay Pictures and Magnussen from HappyBad Bungalow, in association with Bron. The film is executive produced by Arianne Fraser and Delphine Perrier from Highland Film Group, Shane Andries and Anne Hollister from HappyBad Bungalow, Jared Kramer and BRON’s Aaron Gilbert.

“The Ridge is an intense and suspenseful survival thriller with a great ensemble cast led by Billy Magnussen, who will brilliantly capture tension between the rugged outdoorsman and the urbanite as they struggle for their life in the brutal wilderness,” said Arianne Fraser, CEO Highland Film Group, whose current slate also includes Joe Carnahan’s survival thriller Not Without Hope, the high-concept horror Rosario starring Emeraude Toubia and sci-fi thriller The Astronaut starring Emma Roberts and Laurence Fishburne. “We are thrilled to be working with producers Jason Berman and Jordan Moldo who have a proven track record are the guiding force behind such films as Air starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.”

Magnussen is repped by UTA, Anonymous Content and Sloane, Offer, Weber and Dern; Morris is repped by Entertainment 360, CAA and Myman Greenspan; Crawford is repped by CAA, Relevant and Gretchen Rush; Firstman is repped by WME, All My Friends Inc. and Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz.

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