Preview:
- Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller will star in ‘Paper Tiger.’
- They replace Jeremy Strong and Anne Hathaway in the crime drama.
- James Gray wrote and is about to start directing the movie.
It’s all change –– well, not quite all change… but some change for ‘Ad Astra’ writer/director James Gray, who is swapping out some hefty A-list names for some equally notable talent on his new crime movie ‘Paper Tiger.’
While back in November last year he had Adam Driver set to star alongside Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong (who appeared in his most recent directorial effort, the semi-autobiographical ‘Armageddon Time’), he’s down two actors, as Hathaway and Strong have since had to drop out for scheduling reasons.
Since the movie, as the below logline suggests, sees brothers getting into deep trouble with the Russian mob, we can only assume Strong decided he needed more time to become a Soviet crime boss in real life to prepare.
Still, Gray is pushing forward with a new lead duo to work opposite Driver –– Deadline brings word that Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller will be taking over the roles, and cameras should be rolling next month in New Jersey.
Related Article: Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey Lead First Look at ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’
What’s the story of ‘Paper Tiger’?
The new movie, which Gray wrote, is described a tense and gritty story revolving around two brothers (we’d guess Teller and Driver) who pursue the American Dream — only to become entangled in a scheme that turns out to be too good to be true.
As they try to navigate their way through an ever-more dangerous world of corruption and violence, they find themselves and their family brutally terrorized by the Russian “Mafiya.” Their bond begins to fray, and betrayal — once utterly unthinkable — now becomes all too possible.
Where else can we see Scarlett Johansson?
Johansson will be back on our screens this summer, leading ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’, playing a specialist who must lead a group of scientists and mercenaries to the island where the original Jurassic Park dinos were bred in search of medical resources.
The latest entry in the giant beastie franchise will stomp on to our screens on July 2nd.
iDV9ECfrlJVXq7MAkRW8k1On a very different scale (and wavelength) Johansson also has her latest collaboration with director Wes Anderson, ‘The Phoenician Scheme’, which will see theaters next month, June 6th.
And possibly even more excitingly, Johansson is making her directorial debut with drama ‘Eleanor the Great,’ which stars June Squibb in the story of a 900-year-old Floridian woman who moves to New York City for a fresh start. When Making new friends her age proves difficult, she unexpectedly befriends a 19-year-old student.
That movie, formerly known as ‘Eleanor, Invisible,’ also stars Erin Kellyman, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Jessica Hecht, and scored a deal with Sony Pictures Classics. It’ll make its world premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
What else is Miles Teller attached to?
Teller, whose past resume also includes the likes of ‘Whiplash,’ the 2011 version of ‘Footloose,’ ‘Spiderhead’ ‘Rabbit Hole,’ the less-than-loved 2015 take on ‘Fantastic Four’ and, most recently, Apple TV+ horror action thriller ‘The Gorge,’ is a busy, in-demand actor.
He has ‘Eternity’ on the way, a new A24 movie directed by David Freyne that also stars Callum Turner, Elizabeth Olsen and Da’Vine Joy Randolph.
It’s the story of how, after death, everybody gets one week to choose where to spend eternity. But for main characters Joan, Larry, and Luke, it’s really a question of who to spend it with.
While the movie doesn’t have a set release date in place yet, it’s already drawing potential awards buzz.
Then there is ‘Michael,’ the musical biopic of superstar Michael Jackson, in which Teller plays John Branca, Jackson’s manager, lawyer and close friend. The movie currently has an October release window from Lionsgate, though there has been chatter about legal issues surrounding the depiction of one of his accusers in a sexual abuse case, and the potential for the movie to be split in two so as to cover the full breadth of Jackson’s story.
Outside of those, there is animated tale ‘The Ark and the Aardvark,’ in which Teller voices Gilbert, the titular creature, who is given the task of shepherding the animals on to Noah’s Ark.
And we know he’ll be part of Paul Downs Colaizzo’s ‘Winter Games,’ set in the high-stakes arena of the Winter Olympic Games, following a perpetually overlooked skier and a self-sabotaging hockey legend (Teller) who collide at their breaking points. Their unexpected connection threatens her chance for a medal and his shot at a comeback as they navigate romance and redemption in the Olympic Village.
The actor is also attached to the long-developing third outing for the ‘Top Gun’ franchise, where he would reprise the role of Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, AKA the son of Anthony Edwards’ Goose from the 1986 original.
More recently, it was announced via Deadline that Teller will lead the cast for quirky new music comedy ‘Possum Song,’ directed by ‘Sing Sing’s Greg Kwedar to follow his Oscar-nominated prison pic.
Written by Isaac Adamson, ‘Possum Song’ will follow Eddie (Teller), an overconfident Nashville star who is hiding a dark secret: He stole the songs for his hit debut album.
Now, with a new wife and a baby on the way, Eddie must write his follow-up solo or risk losing everything. But just when things seem most hopeless, Eddie discovers a musical genius in the form of a magical possum with whom he strikes a dangerous Faustian bargain.
FilmNation is backing the movie, and here’s what Ben Browning, the company’s president of motion pictures had to say about it:
“This is a one-of-a-kind film. Greg’s vision, Isaac’s hilarious script and the magnetic performance of Miles Teller will create the kind of cinematic ride that audiences are craving — with showstopping music, visceral shocks, possums, humor and emotion.”
There are a number of other projects on his To Do list, including crime thriller ‘Wild Game,’ ‘Bartali,’ another sporting tale (where Teller would here play champion cyclist Gino Bartali, who put his career on hold to fight in World War II) and Martin Scorsese’s wishlist project ‘The Life of Jesus,’ which also has Andrew Garfield attached but has still yet to shoot.
When will ‘Paper Tiger’ be in theaters?
Since we’re in the Cannes Film Festival zone (a little bit like The Twilight Zone, but with fewer gremlins ripping bits off plane wings), add this one to the list of titles up for sale to distributors.
Vincent Maraval and Kim Fox’s The Veterans are representing the international sales rights and CAA Media Finance is handling North American rights. With the movie still in sales limbo, we’ll have to wait to see which company picks it up and what date it assigns to the movie.
List of Scarlett Johansson Movies:
- ‘The Horse Whisperer‘ (1998)
- ‘The Man Who Wasn’t There‘ (2001)
- ‘Ghost World‘ (2001)
- ‘Lost in Translation‘ (2003)
- ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring‘ (2003)
- ‘In Good Company‘ (2004)
- ‘Match Point‘ (2005)
- ‘The Island‘ (2005)
- ‘Scoop‘ (2006)
- ‘The Black Dahlia‘ (2006)
- ‘The Prestige‘ (2006)
- ‘The Other Boleyn Girl‘ (2008)
- ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona‘ (2008)
- ‘The Spirit‘ (2008)
- ‘He’s Just Not That Into You‘ (2009)
- ‘Iron Man 2‘ (2010)
- ‘We Bought a Zoo‘ (2011)
- ‘The Avengers‘ (2012)
- ‘Hitchcock‘ (2012)
- ‘Don Jon‘ (2013)
- ‘Her‘ (2013)
- ‘Chef‘ (2014)
- ‘Lucy‘ (2014)
- ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier‘ (2014)
- ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron‘ (2015)
- ‘Captain America: Civil War‘ (2016)
- ‘Hail, Caesar!‘ (2016)
- ‘The Jungle Book‘ (2016)
- ‘Sing‘ (2016)
- ‘Ghost in the Shell‘ (2017)
- ‘Rough Night‘ (2017)
- ‘Isle of Dogs‘ (2018)
- ‘Avengers: Infinity War‘ (2018)
- ‘Avengers: Endgame‘ (2019)
- ‘Marriage Story‘ (2019)
- ‘Jojo Rabbit‘ (2019)
- ‘Black Widow‘ (2021)
- ‘Sing 2‘ (2021)
- ‘Asteroid City‘ (2023)
