Disney has postponed the release of 20th Century Fox’s Brad Pitt-fronted science fiction film ‘Ad Astra’, which was less than a month away from opening on May 24. The film was at one time supposed to open on January 11, but was pushed back because the visual effects weren’t finished. ‘Ad Astra’ has also been pulled from premiering at the Canne Film Festival, which takes place from May 14-25. Prior to it being pushed from January, it was actually rumored that Fox would rush the picture out to a handful of theaters in 2018 so that it could qualify for the Academy Awards. (Maybe next year!)
Director James Gray stated that the May 24 release date was just a place holder. Buuuuuuut, it just so happens that Disney also has ‘Aladdin’— which is hoped to be one of the biggest hits of the year– set top open on the same date.
Reportedly, Disney would like to move ‘Ad Astra’ to the fall, but won’t make a decision until Gray indicates the film is ready. Buuuuuuut, Disney already has James Mangold’s ‘Ford v. Ferrari’, starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale set to open on November 15. Disney revealed the ‘Ford v. Ferrari’ trailer at CinemaCon, and it apparently generated a lot of buzz.
Ad Astra follows Astronaut Roy McBride (Pitt) who travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his missing father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet. Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Jamie Kennedy and Donald Sutherland co-star.
Gray cowrote the screenplay with Ethan Gross, and has compared ‘Ad Astra’ to Joseph Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’. He also stated that it would include “the most realistic depiction of space travel that’s been put in a movie and to basically say, ‘Space is awfully hostile to us.'”
Pitt, who is also a producer of ‘Ad Astra’, will instead next be seen on the big screen in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’, which opens on July 26.
Check back for updates on ‘Ad Astra’ as they emerge.
Source: Deadline
