We finally have a trailer for James Gray’s “Ad Astra,” a long-delayed artsy sci-fi epic in space. I have been an advocate of Gray’s classicist style for quite some years now, or ever since I saw his excellent 2007 family saga “We Own the Night,” but, more importantly, the immaculate 2009 romance “Two Lovers.” He followed those up with “The Immigrant” and “Lost City of Z,” both critically acclaimed works. However, “Ad Astra” is a whole other monster. The just-released trailer has parallels to Nolan’s “Interstellar,” Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now” and Cuaron’s “Gravity.”
Read moreJames Gray and Brad Pitt’s ‘Ad Astra’ Not Opening May 24 — Delayed Yet Again
What exactly is going on with James Gray’s “Ad Astra”?
Read moreSummer Movie Preview: 14 Big-Studio Movies That Could Astonish
As I researched the films that will be splattered on-screen nationwide between late April and August, I found major hope, a real grab-bag of potential big-studio treats. Surprising? Yes, especially considering that I have been critical of the summer movie season the last few years, at least ever since superhero movies changed the way studios greenlit their films. However, this year, there’s actually hope for artistic breakthroughs.
Read more‘Ad Astra' Not Going to Cannes; Malick's Latest WWII Drama Now Titled ‘A Hidden Life'
We are just two weeks away from the unveiling of the Cannes lineup. And so, we are in complete overdrive to bring you the latest news concerning this most prestigious of festivals. Take for example, the latest rumor that James Gray’s “Ad Astra” will most likely NOT make it to Cannes. Shocking? Yes and no. We’ve been assuming that, if ready, Gray’s sci-fi film, starring Brad Pitt, would make it to the croisette but it looks like it just isn’t able to make the cutoff date, at least according to Cédric Succivalli’s Twitter page. Again, I must mention, Cédric should be trusted, he’s very much in the know with these sort of things. The problem with the the Gray seems to be its special effects, which are still in post-production.
Read moreCannes 2019: Tarantino's “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood" Locked Up; “Ad Astra" Remains a Question Mark.
Cannes 2019 is still two months away but rumors are swirling about the lineup.
Read moreJames Gray's 'Ad Astra' moves from January to May 2019
I kept telling HE's Jeffrey Wells that there is absolutely no chance in hell that 20th Century Fox’s James Gray sci-fi movie "Ad Astra" (which was meant to be released in mid-January) would receive an Academy-qualifying release in December. No chance. Gray's films are not Oscar-bait, he's a lone-wolf that goes by his own creative juices. So, of course, unsurprisingly, it was announced yesterday that Gray's “epic science fiction thriller” is now set for release on May 24th, 2019. You can put a Cannes premiere in the bank with that date now settled-in.
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The short version: "Woman Unknown" was a compromise. The jury deadlocked over "Possible Love" and "NAZA," not able to com to terms, fell back on their #3, May el-Toukhy's film.