James Gray inking a deal with Focus Features for Armageddon Time

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

After taking audiences into the heart of the Amazon with THE LOST CITY of Z, and traveling among the stars alongside Brad Pitt in AD ASTRA, director James Gray has inked a deal with Focus Features for ARMAGEDDON TIME, a coming-of-age story about growing up in Queens in the 1980s.

Gray will write and direct the film, which features a star-studded cast that includes Cate Blanchett, Robert De Niro, Oscar Isaac, Anne Hathaway, and Donald Sutherland. According to The Wrap, ARMAGEDDON TIME will tell a coming-of-age story that explores friendship and loyalty while America is poised to elect Ronald Reagan as president.

“It’s really a dream come true for me, to do this kind of personal story, and to do it for such a wonderful partner in Focus Features. I could not ask for a better home for this film,” Gray said in a statement.

Production on the project is scheduled to begin near the top of 2021 in New York, with Gray, Anthony Katagas, and RT Features' Rodrigo Teixeira producing. Additionally, RT’s Lourenço Sant’Anna and Rodrigo Gutierrez will executive produce.

As a child of the 80s who grew up making frequent trips to New York City, I'll be curious to see how Gray represents the beloved borough of Queens in his new film. It's a place that bursts with personality and potential, and to see it through the eyes of a child was quite the trip. I say bring it on, Mr. Gray, and help me remember when days were golden and the city grooved to a different tune than it does now.