Per an official release, “Master Gardener” follows “a meticulous horticulturist (Edgerton) who is devoted to tending the grounds of a beautiful estate and pandering to his employer, the wealthy dowager (Weaver). When she demands that he take on her wayward and troubled great niece, it unlocks dark secrets from a buried violent past.” “When the idea first started it was one of my male protagonists but then these two women intervened and it became something more complex and unique,” Schrader said about the project.
Sales company HanWay is re-teaming with Schrader after “The Card Counter,” which the company sold around the world. Focus Features is releasing “The Card Counter” in U.S. theaters starting September 10. A24 was behind Schrader’s last release, the Oscar-nominated “First Reformed.” Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, and Willem Dafoe star in “The Card Counter.” “Paul Schrader is at the top of his form, and HanWay is excited to be collaborating again with one of film’s greatest writer-directors,” added HanWay Films executive Gabrielle Stewart in a statement about Schrader’s new project. “’Master Gardener’ is the natural successor to the brilliant film ‘The Card Counter’ which will have its world premiere tomorrow at the Venice Film Festival. Character-driven, sexy and surprising, with plenty of intrigue one would expect from a Schrader film.” Deadline adds: “Amanda Crittenden of Kojo Studios and Scott LaStaiti are producing with David Gonzales. Luisa Law and KOJO Studios’ Linda Ujuk and Dale Roberts will executive produce. Principal photography is scheduled to begin early next year in the Southern United States.” Edgerton is represented by WME and Anonymous Content. Weaver by UTA, attorney Alan Wertheimer and The Lede Company. Schrader is represented by manager, David Gonzales. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.