Overview
- Gray told Brut at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday that the version of Ad Astra released in 2019 was not his cut and that the film was “taken away” from him.
- He said his preferred version would be about 12 minutes shorter and described it as a very different movie that he would like to release if the rights holders allowed it.
- Multiple reports link poor test screenings and subsequent studio-driven reshoots to a budget rise from roughly $80 million toward $100 million and to the final theatrical edit.
- Ad Astra earned about $135 million worldwide against its inflated production costs, a performance widely seen as underperforming and a factor in Gray’s retreat to smaller budgets.
- Secondary coverage lists alleged edits such as added voiceover, more action and a reduced role for Liv Tyler but credits for those specific changes are variably sourced and not uniformly confirmed.