‘Armageddon Time’ Cast Adds Robert De Niro, Oscar Isaac, Donald Sutherland, and Anne Hathaway Alongside Cate Blanchett

Armageddon Time, the James Gray-directed coming-of-age story starring Cate Blanchett, just announced a very impressive line-up of additional cast members. Robert De Niro, Oscar Isaac, Donald Sutherland, and Anne Hathaway are now all on board the movie, which is based in part on Gray’s own childhood. The Ad Astra filmmaker hopes to start shooting as soon as circumstances allow.

Deadline has the story on the new additions to the Armageddon Time, adding that the film is “a big-hearted coming-of-age story that explores friendship and loyalty against the backdrop of an America poised to elect Ronald Reagan as president.” That sounds a lot different from Gray’s films of the past, which are often dark and somber affairs.

Gray is one of the most undersung filmmakers around right now, often crafting fantastic movies that don’t get nearly enough attention. His credits include We Own the Night, The Immigrant, The Lost City of Z, and the recently released Ad Astra, which also featured Donald Sutherland. Speaking about the change of pace of his latest movie, Gray said:

“Every film you make is different, but I’m trying to do something that is the opposite of the vast, lonely and dark void of the movie I just directed,” Gray said. “I’m anxious to make something that is very much about people, about human emotions and interactions between people, and I want it to be filled with warmth and tenderness. In some sense, yes it’s about my childhood, but an illustration of familial love really on every level. I’m of the belief that most people do their best and that they try their best under difficult circumstances and in some sense that’s a beautiful thing and very moving to me.”

Gray added: “I’ve tried to move to the opposite of a cold dark space. I want to be political and historic about it, but fill it with love and warmth. What happened with me, very simply, I got in big trouble when I was around 11, though the boys are 12 in the movie, and the story is about my movement from the public education that I got into private school and a world of privilege. This film is about what that meant for me and how lucky I was, and how unlucky my friend was and about that break meant for me and what it meant for him.”

There’s no word on which specific parts that murderers row of actors will be portraying, but having that lineup all together in a James Gray movie is enough to get me excited.

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