Kathryn Bigelow to Direct Netflix Thriller Despite Budget Concerns

Academy Award-winning director Kathryn Bigelow is set to helm a new thriller for Netflix about the White House's response to a ballistic missile attack on American soil. The project, written by Noah Oppenheim, is moving forward despite initial budget concerns raised by the streaming platform's new film chief, Dan Lin.

According to a report in Puck, Bigelow was "visibly annoyed" over notes from Lin asking for the film to cut its budget and length. However, the acclaimed director has reportedly worked out the issues and is proceeding with the project, which is expected to be formally announced at Netflix's Upfronts presentation to advertisers next week.

The thriller will focus on the White House's real-time response efforts to an incoming ballistic missile attack. Oppenheim, known for his work on "Jackie" and "The Maze Runner", penned the script. This marks one of the first films greenlit under Lin's new regime at Netflix.

Bigelow, who made history as the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director for her 2008 film "The Hurt Locker", hasn'tdirected a featuresince 2017's "Detroit". The underrated character study and thriller explored racism and police brutality amid the 1967 Detroit riots.

Last month, it was reported that Bigelow had dropped out ofdirecting an adaptationof David Koepp's apocalyptic novel "Aurora" for Netflix several months prior, also due to budget concerns. Oppenheim, meanwhile, is working on another project for the streamer - a politically charged conspiracy thriller limited series called "Zero Day", starring Robert De Niro, Angela Bassett, and Jesse Plemons.

With an Academy Award-winning director at the helm and a gripping premise, Bigelow's upcoming Netflix thriller is poised to be a compelling exploration of the high-stakes decision-making that unfolds in the face of a national crisis. As anticipation builds for the project's formal announcement, all eyes will be on Bigelow to deliver another powerful and thought-provoking film.