American filmmaker
James Gray
|
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/46/%22Ad_Astra%22_Screening_at_National_Geographic_NHQ201909160024_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-%22Ad_Astra%22_Screening_at_National_Geographic_NHQ201909160024_%28cropped%29.jpg) Gray in 2019
|
Born
| (
1969-04-14
)
April 14, 1969
(age 55)
New York City, U.S.
|
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Alma mater
| USC School of Cinematic Arts
|
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Occupation(s)
| Film director, screenwriter
|
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Years active
| 1994?present
|
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Spouse
|
Alexandra Dickson
(
m.
2005)
|
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Children
| 3
|
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James Gray
(born April 14, 1969)
[1]
is an American film director and screenwriter. Since his feature debut
Little Odessa
in 1994, he has made seven other features including
We Own the Night
(2007),
Two Lovers
(2008),
The Immigrant
(2013),
The Lost City of Z
(2016),
Ad Astra
(2019), and
Armageddon Time
(2022). Five of his films have competed for the
Palme d'Or
at the
Cannes Film Festival
.
[2]
Early life
[
edit
]
Gray was born in New York City and grew up in the neighborhood of
Flushing
.
[3]
[4]
He is of
Russian Jewish
descent,
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
with grandparents from
Ostropol
,
Western Ukraine
, which at that time was a part of the
USSR
.
[9]
The original family name was "Grayevsky" or "Greyzerstein."
[10]
His father was once an electronics contractor. Gray attended the
University of Southern California
School of Cinematic Arts
, where his student film,
Cowboys and Angels
, helped him get an agent and the attention of producer
Paul Webster
, who encouraged him to write a script which he could produce.
[11]
[12]
Career
[
edit
]
1990s
[
edit
]
In 1994, at age 25, Gray made his first feature film
Little Odessa
, starring
Tim Roth
as a
hit man
confronted by his younger brother upon returning to his hometown, "Little Odessa," a section of
Brighton Beach
,
Brooklyn
.
[13]
The film won the
Silver Lion
at the
51st Venice International Film Festival
.
[14]
In 1998, Gray began shooting his second film,
The Yards
, a crime drama set in the
commuter rail
yards in
New York City
. The film was released theatrically by
Miramax
two years later on October 12, 2000.
[15]
2000s
[
edit
]
In March 2006, Gray began production on his third film,
We Own the Night
, which he had been wanting to shoot since the early 2000s. Set in 1988, it stars
Joaquin Phoenix
and
Mark Wahlberg
as two brothers, one a nightclub manager with ties to the mob, and the former a police detective who wages an all-out war on drugs. The film screened in competition at the
2007 Cannes Film Festival
in May,
[16]
receiving widely divergent reviews from international critics, and was released theatrically in the U.S. in October.
[17]
After that film's success, Gray was given creative freedom for
Two Lovers
which was loosely based on
Fyodor Dostoevsky
’s "
White Nights
".
[18]
The film made its premiere at the
2008 Cannes Film Festival
.
2010s
[
edit
]
From left:
Anthony Katagas
,
Greg Shapiro
,
Jeremy Renner
,
Marion Cotillard
, Gray and wife Alexandra Dickson at the
2013 Cannes Film Festival
Gray co-wrote the screenplay for
Guillaume Canet
's film
Blood Ties
, a
remake
of the French thriller
Rivals
.
[19]
This collaboration with Canet led Gray to meeting his partner
Marion Cotillard
, whom he would cast in his next film
The Immigrant
.
[20]
It tells the story of a Polish nurse who is separated from her sister at
Ellis Island
and forced into
prostitution
by a theater manager, played by
Joaquin Phoenix
. The film, which was previously titled
Lowlife
and
The Nightingale
, marked Gray's fourth collaboration with Phoenix. It was nominated for the
Palme d'Or
at the
2013 Cannes Film Festival
.
[21]
In 2015, Gray directed a television commercial for
Chanel
men's fragrance,
Bleu de Chanel
, starring
Gaspard Ulliel
.
[22]
It was filmed in Los Angeles and released on February 5, 2015.
[23]
In October 2016, Gray's film
The Lost City of Z
premiered at the
New York Film Festival
. The film, based on the
book
by
David Grann
, depicts the life of explorer
Percy Fawcett
, played by
Charlie Hunnam
.
[24]
At the
2016 Cannes Film Festival
, it was reported that Gray would next direct his long-gestated sci-fi space epic
Ad Astra
.
[25]
Brad Pitt
signed on to star in April 2017 and the rest of the cast joined later that year.
Ad Astra
premiered at the
Venice Film Festival
on August 29, 2019 and was theatrically released in the United States on September 20, 2019 by
20th Century Fox
.
[26]
Gray later stated that the film that was released to theaters was not his cut.
[27]
2020s
[
edit
]
On June 17, 2020, it was officially confirmed that his next film, titled
Armageddon Time
, would be a coming-of-age drama loosely based on Gray's childhood memories, with
Anne Hathaway
,
Anthony Hopkins
and
Jeremy Strong
cast in the film.
[28]
The film had its world premiere at the
Cannes Film Festival
on May 19, 2022 and was released in the United States on October 28, 2022 by
Focus Features
.
Unrealized and upcoming projects
[
edit
]
After
Little Odessa
, Gray was offered the script for
The Devil's Own
by
Brad Pitt
, a friend of his. Gray turned it down and the film was ultimately directed by
Alan J. Pakula
.
[29]
He also passed up the opportunity to direct
Good Will Hunting
.
In 1997, Gray was in negotiations with producer
Art Linson
to direct the
biopic
Killer Spy
, about
CIA
agent
Aldrich Ames
, based on the novel
Betrayal
.
[30]
Kevin Spacey
was being talked about for the starring role of Ames.
In 1999, Gray was in talks to direct
Brad Pitt
and
Jennifer Aniston
in
Waking Up in Reno
for
Miramax
. The film was made three years later but without the involvement of Gray, Pitt or Aniston.
[31]
It was reported in 2000 that Gray would direct and co-write
Edgardo Mortara
, a film based on the
infamous 1858 kidnapping
of the 6-year-old Jewish boy by the
Papal police
.
[32]
Gray was to collaborate with writer Rob Eshman on the screenplay.
In 2003, it was rumored that Gray had written an adaptation of
Philip K. Dick
's novelette "
Paycheck
". Prior to
John Woo
being selected,
Brett Ratner
was in talks to direct.
[33]
A
film
was released later that year, but Gray had no involvement.
In 2006, Gray was planning to direct
Alphabet City
, based on the 1995 novel by
Steven Knight
, who also penned the first draft of the script.
[34]
In 2010, Gray was hired to rewrite the script of the
Charlie Hunnam
-scripted
Vlad
, which would have been a period action film based on the story of
Dracula
.
Anthony Mandler
had been attached to direct the film.
[35]
In January 2011, it was reported that Gray would be directing a film adaptation of
Mark Greaney
's novel
The Gray Man
written by
Adam Cozad
. The project was first set up at
New Regency
.
[36]
[37]
Brad Pitt
was initially cast to star, but by October 2015, he and Gray were no longer involved with the film.
In April 2011,
Jeremy Renner
enlisted Gray to write the screenplay for an untitled
Steve McQueen
biopic with Renner in the role under his production banner The Combine.
[38]
"I did it more or less as a favor to Jeremy and to honor Steve McQueen," Gray said.
[20]
Heavily researched and based on two books by
Marshall Terrill
,
Portrait of an American Rebel
and
The Life and Legend of a Hollywood Icon
, the film was initially going to be directed by
Ivan Zacharia?
, although Gray later stated in 2013 that he may end up directing it himself at some point.
[39]
In August 2013, it was announced that
Warner Bros.
tapped Gray to write and direct
White Devil
, a film based on the life of
John Willis
.
[40]
It was reported in April 2015 by
Variety
that Gray was to executive produce and serve as
creative consultant
on
Hard Apple
, an "adult-skewing"
animated series
inspired by New York-born author
Jerome Charyn
's Isaac Sidel novels.
[41]
In April 2018, MGM closed a deal for Gray to direct
I Am Pilgrim
, an adaptation of
the espionage novel
by
Terry Hayes
.
[42]
He was slated to direct the film after he finished shooting
Ad Astra
. However, Gray confirmed in 2022 that the project is officially dead, and that it had got lost in the "business mess" with studios changing hands.
[43]
In April 2022, Gray announced plans to develop a
limited series
about novelist
Norman Mailer
based on
J. Michael Lennon
's biography
Norman Mailer: A Double Life
.
[44]
In October 2022, Gray said he was interested in wrangling back the cast for a semi-sequel to
Armageddon Time
, to focus solely on his mother, who was portrayed by
Anne Hathaway
. "The story goes in a very unexpected place," said Gray, "Because my father actually did achieve some financial success but wound up getting it all confiscated by the government when he got into legal trouble. At the same time, my mother found out she was dying. And so, it's going to be, I think, something about that period."
[45]
That same month,
Deadline
reported that Gray's next film would be a biopic about a young
John F. Kennedy
that focused on his time in
World War II
where he saved his crew from a sinking patrol boat.
[46]
[47]
The film was titled
Mayday 109
and had been in development for several years before Gray boarded the project.
[48]
Bill Skarsgard
is attached to star as Kennedy.
[49]
In November 2022, Gray revealed in an interview for
Collider
that one of his dream projects was an epic about the
Russian Revolution
called
The Dream of a Thousand Men
, but that it was unlikely to be made anytime soon, if at all, due to
Russia's 2022 Ukraine invasion
.
[50]
In March 2023, it was announced Gray would direct
Ezekiel Moss
, a
Depression
-set ghost story written by Keith Bunin, for
Focus Features
.
[51]
In February 2024, Gray replaced
Neil Burger
as the director of
Summer Frost
, based on
Blake Crouch
's source material, which had first been announced back in 2020.
Zoe Saldana
is attached to star in the film.
[52]
Gray also turned down the role played by
Noah Taylor
in
Wes Anderson
's
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
.
[53]
He did, however, appear in a brief cameo in a deleted scene in
Love Jones
.
[54]
Opera
[
edit
]
In 2019, it was reported that Gray was to stage
Mozart
's
The Marriage of Figaro
, his first opera, at the
Theatre des Champs-Elysees
in Paris that November. French fashion designer
Christian Lacroix
did the costumes for the production.
[55]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Gray married Alexandra Dickson in 2005. The couple have three children.
[56]
Favorite films
[
edit
]
In 2022, Gray participated in the
Sight and Sound
film polls. Held every ten years to select the greatest films of all time, contemporary directors were asked to select ten films of their choice. Gray chose the following, in no order:
[57]
- 2001: A Space Odyssey
(USA/UK, 1968)
- Citizen Kane
(USA, 1941)
- The Godfather
(USA, 1972)
- 8½
(Italy, 1963)
- The Leopard
(Italy, 1963)
- Ordet
(Denmark, 1955)
- PlayTime
(France, 1967)
- Raging Bull
(USA, 1980)
- Tokyo Story
(Japan, 1953)
- Vertigo
(USA, 1958)
Filmography
[
edit
]
Film
[
edit
]
Television
[
edit
]
Year
|
Title
|
Episode
|
2014
|
The Red Road
|
"Arise My Love, Shake Off This Dream" (S1 E1)
|
Awards and nominations
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Tatiana Siegel (May 20, 2007).
"Dialogue: James Gray"
.
Hollywood Reporter
. Retrieved
April 25,
2017
.
- ^
CANNES 2000: Embracing Indiewood, Cannes 2000 Lineup Selected from Nearly 1,400 Films; 15 Countries|IndieWire
- ^
Jagernauth, Kevin (November 5, 2013).
"James Gray, Nicolas Winding Refn & More Giving Masterclasses At 2013 Marrakech International Film Festival"
.
IndieWire
. Archived from
the original
on March 5, 2014
. Retrieved
March 5,
2014
.
- ^
Hirschon, Nicholas (December 23, 2011). "
James Gray's Films Explore Underdog Living in Qns.
"
Daily News
(New York, New York). p. p. 35.
- ^
Kilday, Gregg (May 21, 2013).
"Cannes: James Gray on 'The Immigrant,' Marion Cotillard and Returning to the Fest (Q&A)"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
. Retrieved
June 11,
2018
.
- ^
Zeitchik, Steven (October 17, 2016).
"Director James Gray goes on his own search while creating 'The Lost City of Z'
"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
June 11,
2018
.
And he is. He's also a grade-A kibitzer, a gregarious character, whose chatty and self-effacing wit bespeaks his Queens upbringing and Eastern European-Jewish heritage.
- ^
Jeng, Jonah (April 20, 2017).
"Of Immigrants and the City: A James Gray Retrospective"
.
Paste Magazine
. Retrieved
June 11,
2018
.
- ^
Applebaum, Stephen (March 27, 2017).
"James Gray: Exploring the dark and personal"
.
The Jewish Chronicle
. Retrieved
June 11,
2018
.
- ^
"James Gray Interview For 'The Immigrant'
"
. Flicks and Bits. May 23, 2013. Archived from
the original
on June 19, 2013
. Retrieved
September 5,
2013
.
- ^
"James Gray's New York of underdogs and dreamers"
.
Le Monde.fr
. May 19, 2022.
- ^
Transcript of Online Conference with Little Odessa Writer/Director James Gray
, Fine Line Features, 1995, Accessed May 11, 2008.
- ^
Hanson, Peter (June 28, 2010).
The Cinema of Generation X: A Critical Study of Films and Directors
. McFarland.
ISBN
978-0-7864-8078-4
.
- ^
James, Caryn (May 19, 1995).
"Little Odessa (1994) ? Film Review; Russian Emigre Family With a Son in the Mob"
.
The New York Times
.
- ^
Anastasia, George
; Macnow, Glen, eds. (2011).
The Ultimate Book of Gangster Movies
.
Running Press
. pp. 293, 294.
- ^
The Yards (2000) - Filming & Production - IMDb
- ^
"Festival de Cannes: We Own the Night"
.
festival-cannes.com
. Retrieved
December 20,
2009
.
- ^
We Own the Night (2007) - IMDb
- ^
"Two Lovers: James Gray Interview"
.
At the Movies
. June 3, 2009. Archived from
the original
on August 23, 2009
. Retrieved
August 10,
2009
.
- ^
Halligan, Fionnuala (May 20, 2013).
"Blood Ties ? Reviews"
.
Screen International
.
- ^
a
b
Kiang, Jessica (December 10, 2012).
"Marrakech '12: James Gray Still Hoping To Visit 'Lost City of Z,' Talks 'Blood Ties' & Jeremy Renner's Steve McQueen Biopic"
.
IndieWire
. Retrieved
January 31,
2023
.
- ^
"2013 Official Selection"
.
Cannes
. April 20, 2013
. Retrieved
April 20,
2013
.
- ^
"James Gray directs the latest Chanel Bleu campaign"
.
Fashion Network
. February 2, 2015.
- ^
"Gaspard Ulliel in a vertigo in the new Bleu De Chanel film"
.
Vogue India
. February 5, 2015.
- ^
"The Lost City of Z" Resuscitates Cinema's Classic Adventure Tale|The New Yorker
- ^
Lang, Brent (May 12, 2016).
"Cannes: James Gray Making Sci-Fi Epic 'Ad Astra'
"
.
Variety
. Variety Media, LLC
. Retrieved
June 24,
2017
.
- ^
Pallotta, Frank (September 20, 2019).
"
'Ad Astra' could be the hit that 20th Century Fox desperately needs"
.
CNN
. Retrieved
October 21,
2019
.
- ^
Ruimy, Jordan (October 18, 2022).
"James Gray Finally Admits His Cut of 'Ad Astra' Was "Taken" From Him During The Edit"
.
World of Reel
. Retrieved
February 3,
2023
.
- ^
"Anthony Hopkins and Jeremy Strong Join 'Armageddon Time'
"
. October 12, 2021
. Retrieved
January 15,
2022
.
- ^
Davis, Edward (December 5, 2022).
"James Gray Says He Turned Down 'Goodwill Hunting' & Explains Why He'd Be Interested In Doing A 'Batman' Film"
.
ThePlaylist.net
. Retrieved
April 7,
2023
.
- ^
Busch, Anita M. (June 2, 1997).
"Gray in talks to helm Fox's Ames pic"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
September 14,
2023
.
- ^
Petrikin, Chris; Fleming, Michael (May 19, 1999).
"Pitt, Aniston may be 'Waking Up in Reno'
"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
January 31,
2023
.
- ^
Lyons, Charles (September 18, 2000).
"Gray's papal project"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
January 31,
2023
.
- ^
"Ratner collecting his 'Paycheck'
"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
July 19,
2021
.
- ^
Green, Willow (August 9, 2006).
"James Gray Headed To Alphabet City"
.
Empire
. Retrieved
September 6,
2023
.
- ^
Dang, Simon (October 19, 2010).
"James Gray Rewriting Charlie Hunnam's Dracula Actioner Script 'Vlad'
"
.
ThePlaylist.net
. Retrieved
September 14,
2023
.
- ^
Fleming, Mike Jr (January 14, 2011).
"James Gray To Direct 'The Gray Man'
"
.
Deadline Hollywood
.
Archived
from the original on April 20, 2021
. Retrieved
July 17,
2020
.
- ^
Fleming, Mike Jr (August 15, 2011).
"Brad Pitt To Star In Regency's 'The Gray Man'
"
.
Deadline Hollywood
.
Archived
from the original on April 20, 2021
. Retrieved
July 17,
2020
.
- ^
Jagernauth, Kevin (April 28, 2011).
"Jeremy Renner Developing Steve McQueen Biopic As Star Vehicle, James Gray To Write The Script"
.
ThePlaylist.net
. Retrieved
January 31,
2023
.
- ^
Perez, Rodrigo (October 9, 2013).
"James Gray May Direct Jeremy Renner's Steve McQueen Biopic; Calls 'Lost City Of Z' Epic & Hallucinogenic"
.
IndieWire
. Retrieved
January 31,
2023
.
- ^
Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 9, 2013).
"Warner Bros Sets James Gray For Boston Crime Thriller 'White Devil'
"
.
Deadline Hollywood
. Retrieved
June 5,
2023
.
- ^
"Canal Plus Bites Into 'Hard Apple' With James Gray (EXCLUSIVE)"
.
Variety
. April 8, 2015
. Retrieved
January 31,
2023
.
- ^
"James Gray To Direct MGM's 'I Am Pilgrim' Spy Franchise From Terry Hayes Novel"
.
Deadline Hollywood
. April 16, 2018
. Retrieved
April 17,
2018
.
- ^
Ford, Rebecca (November 22, 2022).
"The Vulnerability of James Gray's
Armageddon Time
"
.
Vanity Fair
. Retrieved
June 14,
2023
.
- ^
"James Gray To Write & Direct Drama Series About Norman Mailer"
.
Deadline Hollywood
. April 4, 2022
. Retrieved
September 22,
2022
.
- ^
Perez, Rodrigo (October 19, 2022).
"James Gray Wants To Do An 'Armageddon Time' Sequel Focusing On Anne Hathway's Character"
.
ThePlaylist.net
. Retrieved
February 3,
2023
.
- ^
Fleming, Mike Jr. (October 28, 2022).
"
'Armageddon Time's James Gray To Direct Biopic Of Young John F Kennedy For MadRiver Pictures"
.
Deadline Hollywood
. Retrieved
February 2,
2023
.
- ^
Chapman, Wilson (October 28, 2022).
"James Gray to Direct John F. Kennedy Biopic"
.
IndieWire
. Retrieved
February 2,
2023
.
- ^
McNary, Dave (October 20, 2015).
"JFK World War II Drama 'Mayday 109' in the Works"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
October 29,
2023
.
- ^
Franklin, Garth (December 21, 2023).
"Bill Skarsgard To Play A Young JFK"
.
Dark Horizons
. Retrieved
February 19,
2024
.
- ^
Jones, Tamera (November 4, 2022).
"
'Armageddon Time' Director James Gray on Filming His Own Coming-of-Age Story and Being Honest With His Audience"
.
Collider
. Retrieved
December 21,
2022
.
- ^
Kroll, Justin (March 31, 2023).
"James Gray to Direct 'Ezekiel Moss' For Focus Features"
.
Deadline Hollywood
. Retrieved
April 2,
2023
.
- ^
Ruimy, Jordan (February 15, 2024).
"James Gray to Direct Sci-Fi Movie 'Summer Frost,' With Zoe Saldana"
.
World of Reel
. Retrieved
February 19,
2024
.
- ^
Heller, Nathan (September 9, 2019).
"James Gray's Journey from the Outer Boroughs to Outer Space"
.
The New Yorker
. Retrieved
January 31,
2023
.
- ^
Jagernauth, Kevin (February 16, 2018).
"Cinephile Trivia: James Gray Had His Role Cut From 'Love Jones'
"
.
ThePlaylist.net
. Retrieved
January 31,
2023
.
- ^
"
'Hollywood's James Gray to direct first opera in Paris'
"
.
The Jakarta Post
. March 26, 2019
. Retrieved
January 31,
2023
.
- ^
"Cannes: James Gray on 'The Immigrant,' Marion Cotillard and Returning to the Fest (Q&A)"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
. May 21, 2013
. Retrieved
September 5,
2013
.
- ^
Ruimy, Jordan (December 7, 2022).
"S&S Directors' Individual Lists: Scorsese, Wes Anderson, Del Toro, Aster, Eggers, Safdie, Inarritu, Gray, Guadagnino, Bong, Mann … [Final Update]"
.
World of Reel
. Retrieved
December 19,
2022
.
External links
[
edit
]
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