“Paper Tiger” starring Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, and Miles Teller, to compete at Cannes; Neon acquires North American rights
According to the CinemaDrame News Agency, after weeks of anticipation, the highly awaited film Paper Tiger, directed by James Gray, has joined the competition for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The bold crime thriller, starring Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, and Miles Teller, will premiere in the main competition section, with Neon securing North American distribution rights.
Paper Tiger follows two brothers who, in pursuit of the American Dream, “become entangled in a scheme that seems too good to be true.” The synopsis states: “As they try to find their way in an increasingly dangerous world filled with corruption and violence, they discover that they and their family are being brutally threatened by the Russian mafia. Their bond begins to unravel, and betrayal—once unthinkable—now feels inevitable.”
Gray has long been a Cannes favorite and is particularly well regarded in France. Over the years, he has brought five films to the festival—The Yards, We Own the Night, Two Lovers, The Immigrant, and Armageddon Time—and also served on the Cannes jury in 2009, when Isabelle Huppert was president.
His films have been handled by a wide range of U.S. distributors, including Miramax (The Yards), Sony Pictures Classics (We Own the Night, Two Lovers), Magnolia Pictures (The Immigrant), Amazon Studios (The Lost City of Z), 20th Century Fox (Ad Astra), and Focus Features (Armageddon Time).
Paper Tiger was initially expected to be included in the official selection announced by Cannes director Thierry Frémaux on April 9, but was absent from the first lineup. Frémaux told Variety at the time that he hoped the film would be added later, describing it as “a wonderful film, a very James Gray kind of film, and a very independent one.”
Frémaux added: “This is the James Gray who has never stopped being himself.” He noted that the project had “complexities in its production” and that “some contractual issues still needed to be resolved,” expressing hope that they would soon be cleared for official announcement.
Gray will be one of two American filmmakers in competition this year, alongside Ira Sachs’ A Man I Love, starring Rami Malek.
The casting reunites Johansson and Driver following Marriage Story (2019), which earned both actors Academy Award nominations. The film is produced by Rodrigo Teixeira under the RT Features banner and Anthony Katagas for AK Productions, alongside James Gray, Raffaella Leone, Greg Farkas, Marco Perego, Carlo Salem, and Andrea Boccoli. Executive producers include Lee Broda, Jeff Rice, Ricardo Madalosso, and Emily Salveson. French distribution will be handled by SND.
The deal for Paper Tiger further cements Neon’s strong presence at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. With this title, Neon now backs six Palme d’Or contenders, including The Unknown by Arthur Harari, The Fjord by Cristian Mungiu, Suddenly by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Sheep in the Box by Hirokazu Kore-eda, and the Korean genre film Hope by Na Hong-jin, starring Hwang Jung-min, Hoyeon, Alicia Vikander, and Michael Fassbender. The distributor has a strong track record at Cannes, having backed six of the last Palme d’Or winners.
