James Gray’s Armageddon Time will have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival next month, but audiences at CinemaCon in Las Vegas were able to get the first peek at the highly-anticipated new drama. Starring Anthony Hopkins, Anne Hathaway, and Jeremy Strong, Armageddon Game tells a “deeply personal, coming-of-age story about the strength of family and the generational pursuit of the American Dream.” Set in the ’70s, the sizzle reel showcased Hopkins as the family grandfather who takes his grandson under his wing and teaches him to stand up for himself. Although that description may seem a little saccharine, Bumbray said that it’s actually a very dark, heavy family drama that doesn’t shy away from the hardcore racism of the time when the grandson makes friends with a Black kid at his school. Bumbray guesses that Anthony Hopkins has another Oscar nomination in his future.
Audiences also got a look at Tár, the first film from Todd Field (Little Children) in 16 years. Not much is known about the film just yet, only that it takes place in the world of classical music and stars Cate Blanchett. That should be enough. The footage shown at CinemaCon was created exclusively for the event and consisted of Blanchett exhaling smoke in slow motion while a monologue about the nature of power played underneath. The film is set to be released on October 7, 2022.
Lightening things up a bit was Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, a whimsical comedy starring Lesley Manville as a British housekeeper whose dream of owning a couture Christian Dior gown takes her on an extraordinary adventure. The footage was quite charming, very much in the British romantic comedy style we’ve come to know. Isabelle Huppert, Jason Isaacs, and Lucas Bravo also star in the film which will hit theaters on July 15, 2022.
