Tommy Lee Jones & Brad Pitt to Star in Futuristic Sci-Fi Drama

According to reports by both Deadline and Empire, we could soon be seeing Tommy Lee Jones once again on the silver screen, starring with Brad Pitt in the movie “Ad Astra.” The working title of a sci-fi film epic which was co-written and will be directed by James Gray, will feature Pitt as a slightly autistic space engineer searching for his father (the character which Jones was in talks to fill earlier this summer) who left 20 years earlier on a one-way mission to Neptune in search of intelligent life. Pitt’s character travels the solar system looking for him and trying to understand why his mission had failed.

Jones, who was born in San Saba, Texas, has had a stellar acting career, and his fans have loved him in genres from western to drama, to comedy and mystery. He’s starred in history-making classics such as “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” “Lonesome Dove,” “No Country for Old Men,” and the “Men In Black” series. He’s an Academy Award and Golden Globe winner, along with numerous awards and nominations he’s achieved over the course of his career. He also continues to live in and take pride in the state of Texas, residing in Terrell Hills (a San Antonio suburb) and ranching in San Saba County.

No stranger to the sci-fi theme, albeit mixed with comedy, in 1997 Jones starred with Will Smith in “Men in Black.” Following that, in 2000 he starred in “Space Cowboys.” As one of four pilots that get to fulfill their dreams and go up into space, he played Colonel William “Hawk” Hawkins, USAF (Ret.), with a star-studded cast including Donald Sutherland, James Garner, and Clint Eastwood (who also directed and produced the film). Shared on the Movieclips YouTube channel, in the scene above he plays his deadpan role to a “T”, then follows it up with a self-esteem supporting speech for his flight partner in the end.

In the movie “Ad Astra” (which in Latin means “to the stars”), the film is set in space, with a serious script, which will be one of the first times we’ll see him fulfill a role in this genre. Pitt will also have the first-time pleasure of working with one of the greatest actors of modern-day times, who also just finished filming “Shock and Awe” directed by Rob Reiner, as well as the Ron Shelton-directed “Villa Capri”. Filming for “Ad Astra” is scheduled for September with a release date yet to be announced.