NEON has set a U.S. release date for “Paper Tiger,” the latest film from James Gray, with the drama now slated to open in select theaters on November 13 before expanding nationwide on November 20.
Written and directed by Gray, “Paper Tiger” stars Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, and Miles Teller, alongside Gavin Goudey and Roman Engel. The film emerged from the Cannes Film Festival as one of the most critically acclaimed titles of the festival and one of the strongest notices of Gray’s career (read our review).
Gray, known for emotionally bruising, classically composed dramas like “The Immigrant,” “The Lost City of Z,” “Ad Astra,” and “Armageddon Time,” returns here to familiar territory: the 1980s, family, ambition, loyalty, and the corrosive costs of chasing the American dream.
Here’s the official synopsis:
A deeply felt and intense drama, “Paper Tiger” explores the love between family and the pursuit of the American dream and features brilliant performances by Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, and Miles Teller. Two brothers become entangled in a scheme that turns out to be too good to be true. As they try to navigate their way through the dangerous world of the Russian mafiya, family bonds begin to fray with life-altering consequences.
The film is produced by Gray, Rodrigo Teixeira, Anthony Katagas, Raffaella Leone, Andrea Leone, Marco Perego, Leonardo Maria del Vecchio, Gary Farkas, Carlo Salem, and Andrea Bucko. “Paper Tiger” is a production of RT Features, Keep Your Head, Lotus, Leone Film Group, Vixens, Jury Rigged Pictures, and Vice Pictures.
NEON will release “Paper Tiger” in select theaters on November 13 and everywhere on November 20, and the fall date suggests the indie company has high Oscar hopes for this bruising family and crime drama.
![‘Paper Tiger’ Review: Adam Driver, Miles Teller & Scarlett Johansson Anchor James Gray’s Searing New York Crime Drama [Cannes]](https://cdn.theplaylist.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/16191815/Scarlett-Johannson-Paper-Tiger-James-Gray-1024x607.jpg)
Rodrigo Perez is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Playlist, which he launched in 2008. He has worked in entertainment journalism since 2000, including at MTV, and has written for SPIN, IndieWire, Pitchfork, Complex, Magnet, and various music, film, and entertainment publications over the past two decades.
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