James Gray’s (Ad Astra) semi-autobiographical drama Armageddon Time finally has a release date, or rather, several of them.
Focus Features announced today that Armageddon Time will see a limited release in exclusive markets on October 18th, before expanding domestically on November 4th and finally going nationwide on November 11th. Armageddon Time premiered earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival where it received a seven-minute standing ovation and plenty of critical acclaim. The film tells a “deeply personal, coming-of-age story about the strength of family and the generational pursuit of the American Dream.” It’s based on James Gray’s own childhood experiences in the early 1980s at the Kew-Forest School in New York City. Banks Repeta (The Black Phone) plays Paul Graff, a middle-class 11-year-old troublemaker who would rather do anything but pay attention to his teachers. Anne Hathaway (The Witches) and Jeremy Strong (Succession) play Paul’s loving but stern parents while Anthony Hopkins (The Father) plays his wise grandfather. James Gray directed Armageddon Time from his own script and also produces.
Our own Chris Bumbray caught a glimpse at Armageddon Time while attending CinemaCon prior to the film’s debut at Cannes. Bumbray said that the story isn’t afraid to delve into the very dark and heavy aspects of a family drama and that Anthony Hopkins might just have another Oscar nomination in his future.