Tommy Lee Jones Joins Brad Pitt In James Gray’s ‘Ad Astra’

While David Fincher might be confirmed to direct “World War Z 2“ with his old bud Brad Pitt, that project is probably some way off. The director is likely putting the finishing touches on his highly anticipated new Netflix series “Mindhunter” which drops this fall, so it gives Pitt the chance to work with another old pal, James Gray. The actor signed up to play in the lead in the sci-fi “Ad Astra,” and now he’s being joined by legendary veteran.

Deadline reports that Tommy Lee Jones is in final talks for the film. Described as a “Heart Of Darkness” style story in space, the film will find Pitt playing Roy McBride, a slightly autistic space engineer who embarks on a one-way trip to Neptune to find out why his father’s previous mission to find signs of intelligent life failed. Jones is lined up play Pitt’s father.

The film marks a long awaited collaboration between Pitt and Gray, with an early incarnation of “The Lost City Of Z” not panning out, and the thriller “The Gray Man” never quite coming together. But this sounds like bold territory for both, and watching Jones work with great material is almost unbeatable. Production on “Ad Astra” is expected to begin this summer.