James Gray Says ‘Ad Astra’ Was “Taken” From Him During The Edit: “Creatively, “It Became A Very Torturous Experience”

James Gray is an incredibly talented filmmaker. That much is really not up for debate. However, if you want to talk about one of his films specifically, “Ad Astra,” that’s when film fans begin to really diverge. With each film, Gray has no problem going for big swings and you could argue that “Ad Astra” has been his biggest swing to date. The sci-fi epic earned pretty great reviews when it was released but audiences didn’t open up to the emotional, space family drama, with the film not really able to recoup its money at the box office. And according to Gray, the film is one of the low points of his career, but maybe not for the reasons you’re thinking.

During his masterclass at the recent Lumiere Film Festival (via Variety), filmmaker James Gray talked about his experience making “Ad Astra” and why he’s so frustrated with the finished product. You see, the film that was released in theaters is not the film Gray intended to showcase. At some point, the director apparently lost control over the edit of the film, and we have yet to see the true cut of the movie. 

READ MORE: ‘Mailer’: James Gray To Write/Direct Series Based On Life Of Writer Norman Mailer

“Creatively, it became a very torturous experience,” explained Gray about “Ad Astra.” “The film was taken from me, ultimately: it’s not my cut of the movie, and I find it a very painful experience to have people tell me things they hated about the movie that I had nothing to do with.”

He added, “I was so deeply upset, I had lost all my enthusiasm for making films. And I said, ‘If I’m going to do it again, if it’s going to be bad, it might as well be my bad.’” 

As mentioned, what’s frustrating about Gray’s statement is that there are plenty of folks who have talked about “Ad Astra” and blame the filmmaker for most of its faults. However, it’s clear now, that Gray didn’t have any final say in how the film was edited. So, perhaps the director’s cut of “Ad Astra” would be a finished product that everyone can agree is decent. Unfortunately, we’ll likely never know. 

READ MORE: ‘Armageddon Time’ Review: James Gray Reflects On Privilege & Says Goodbye To The Past With Great Empathy [Cannes]

The exact reasons for the film getting “taken” from Gray are unknown. We’re not sure what changes were made without his approval. But it’s obvious from his statements that “Ad Astra,” even with its good reviews is a film he is not happy with. And as a fan of films, you hate to see a director put in that situation.