Brad Pitt is attached to star in Connector, a new period drama at Apple Original Films. The 62-year-old actor will play an ironworker whose job takes him high above the streets of New York.
The story unfolds during the 1970s and centers on a figure described as a working-class legend. He finds himself confronting forces larger than himself, according to the project’s brief logline.
Darius Marder will direct from a screenplay he wrote with his sister, Nina Marder. The original story comes from Derek Cianfrance, the filmmaker behind Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines.
The project brings Pitt and Marder together for the first time. It is the director’s first announced narrative feature since Sound of Metal, the acclaimed drama released in 2020.
A New Script Draft Increased Pitt’s Interest
Brad Pitt To Star In ‘Connector’ From Apple And ‘Sound Of Metal’ Director Darius Marder https://t.co/yRiHvNCevD
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) November 12, 2026
According to Deadline, Pitt, Marder and Plan B had been discussing the film for some time. A recent screenplay draft strengthened the actor’s enthusiasm, prompting conversations about making it his next production in 2027.
Pitt will produce through Plan B Entertainment alongside Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, with Marder serving as a producer as well. Apple subsequently came aboard the project, extending its existing relationship with the actor and his production company.
The potential filming window remains tentative. Apple has yet to announce a production start, supporting cast or release date, and the brief plot description leaves the ironworker’s identity and the nature of his conflict under wraps.
Marder’s Breakthrough Earned Six Oscar Nominations
In Sound of Metal, Riz Ahmed played Ruben Stone, a drummer whose hearing loss disrupts his career and relationship with music. The story follows his struggle to adjust and his time in a Deaf community, where he encounters a different way of understanding his future.
The film received six nominations at the 2021 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Ahmed and Best Supporting Actor for Paul Raci. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded it Best Sound and Best Film Editing. Darius and his brother Abraham Marder shared the screenplay nomination, with story credit going to Darius and Cianfrance.
Marder’s directing career began with the 2008 documentary Loot, which won the documentary prize at the Los Angeles Film Festival. He later co-wrote Cianfrance’s The Place Beyond the Pines, starring Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper and Eva Mendes in an interconnected story about fathers, sons and the consequences of their decisions.
Apple Builds on Its Success With F1
Pitt played veteran driver Sonny Hayes in Joseph Kosinski’s F1: The Movie, returning to Formula 1 to help a struggling team. Damson Idris, Javier Bardem and Kerry Condon joined him in the cast, while Lewis Hamilton was among the producers.
By October 2025, Apple said the film had earned more than $629 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing sports movie. It subsequently received a Best Picture nomination at the 2026 Academy Awards.
The studio had previously worked with Pitt on Wolfs, the 2024 action comedy pairing him with George Clooney. That film followed two professional fixers forced to cooperate after being hired to handle the same problem.
Pitt’s Next Release Brings Back Cliff Booth
Pitt’s next release is The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, which reunites him with director David Fincher. Quentin Tarantino wrote the screenplay, bringing back the character that earned Pitt a supporting actor Oscar for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Netflix has confirmed an exclusive two-week global IMAX run beginning November 25, followed by a December 23 streaming debut. Set in 1977, the film finds Booth doing odd jobs and handling problems for Hollywood figures.
Pitt has also completed filming Edward Berger’s The Riders, adapted from Tim Winton’s novel. In a November 5 interview with Variety, Berger described a man renovating a cottage in Ireland while waiting for his wife and daughter. When only the daughter arrives, they set off across Europe to find her mother.
