Update: Gray confirmed with Collider that production begins on July 17 and he aims to create “the most realistic depiction of space travel that’s been put in a movie.” Check out the original story below.
With the release of his adventure epic The Lost City of Z imminent, we were surprised to learn that director James Gray would be quickly jumping into another epic so soon, this time of the sci-fi variety. Last month we got the news that a May shoot was being planned for his mysterious project Ad Astra and now he may have found his star.
Now that World War Z 2 is delayed (although David Fincher is somehow reportedly still interested in making it), Brad Pitt is lining up his options for his next project and at the top of the pile of Gray’s next film, according to Deadline. Of course, Pitt has history with Gray, having executive produced The Lost City of Z (a film he once circled to lead) as well as, many years ago, was attached to star in The Gray Man. As for this next project — which Pitt’s Plan B is helping to produce and aiming to work with New Regency — new details have landed.
Pitt’s character would be the “slightly autistic space engineer” named Roy McBride. He embarks on a mission through the solar system to find his father, who had left 20 years prior on a search for extra-terrestrial life on Neptune. As for the title Ad Astra, in Latin it means “to the stars.” Scripted by Gray and Ethan Ross, we’d love to see Gray take on something this ambitious, having proved he can handle scale and retain the emotional heft he’s known for with his last film. With production intending to begin in a matter of months, check back for Pitt’s confirmation.