Brad Pitt remains on the island of Hydra for the filming of Edward Berger’s new feature, The Riders, as the island’s historic harbor undergoes a striking transformation to accommodate the international production. Shooting is set to continue in Nea Makri, a town in northeastern Attica, bringing the Hollywood star even closer to Athens.
Pitt’s presence in Greece has not gone unnoticed. The Academy Award–winning actor is on location for the adaptation of the novel by Australian author Tim Winton, in what is shaping up to be an ambitious American production. Greek landscapes are being employed to lend authenticity and atmospheric depth to the story’s setting.
Hydra, one of the jewels of the Saronic Gulf, has effectively been converted into an open-air studio. Preparations are intense and meticulously coordinated, underscoring once again Greece’s growing reputation as a reliable destination for high-caliber international filmmaking.
Pitt takes on the role of Fred Scully, a father propelled into a desperate search for his wife and daughter after a series of shattering events. For the purposes of the shoot, Hydra’s harbor has been dramatically altered.
Shop signs and storefront names have been replaced, and even the currency visible in certain scenes has reportedly been switched from euros to drachmas to meet the film’s specific period and narrative requirements.
A vintage “flying dolphin” hydrofoil has also docked at the port, set to feature in key scenes involving Pitt—an evocative detail that reinforces the production’s commitment to period accuracy.
Behind the scenes, crews are working at a relentless pace to ensure that every frame faithfully captures the emotional universe of the story.
At its core, The Riders unfolds as an intense existential drama. Pitt’s character embarks on a haunting search for his partner, who has mysteriously vanished from their home in Ireland. What begins as a physical journey soon deepens into a profoundly emotional odyssey, confronting themes of loss, memory, and the limits of human endurance.