naiwa 2026-05-26

James Gray revealed the story of the conflict with the studio and dreams of a director's cut of the film.



In an interview at the Cannes Film Festival, director James Gray reported that the final version of the film "Ad Astra" (2019) was edited by 20th Century Fox without his knowledge or involvement. According to the filmmaker, the situation was complicated by the sale of the studio to Disney — he found himself trapped between different owners.Gray emphasized that his own version of the film would be fundamentally different from the theatrical release: the director's cut would be 12 minutes shorter. With a budget of 80 million dollars, the studio took full control over the final product. In contrast, Gray's new project "The Paper Tiger" cost only 15 million, but the director retained full creative control.Gray expressed hope to someday release his own version of "Ad Astra," although he admitted that the decision is not up to him. "The Paper Tiger" starring Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, and Miles Teller was included in the Cannes competition program.
Tony Leung talked about how he argued with Marvel over the fights in "Shang-Chi" — naiwa | UniversumThe actor wanted to make the hero's fighting style more diverse, but the director kept the scene in the usual Marvel form. universum.ink