PAPER TIGER (2026): James Gray’s Latest Will Bring the Director Back to the New York Film Festival

Paper Tiger to Open the 64th New York Film Festival

James Gray‘s latest crime-centered drama, Paper Tiger, is slated to open the 64th annual New York Film Festival this September.

Filmmaker James Gray (of The Immigrant and Armageddon Time fame) will be returning to, arguably, the Big Apple’s greatest film festival to celebrate the North American premiere of Gray’s newest New York story, Paper Tiger. Gray’s latest movie won accolades at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and will be released by Neon. Needless to say, there was not much of a surprise when the New York Film Festival announced it would be their opening night selection.

Paper Tiger is a story of crime, family bonds and the formidable struggles that affect its central characters. This movie has a cast that is among the most well-assembled ones of 2026. Adam Driver and his Marriage Story co-star, Scarlett Johansson, will once again be sharing the screen together in this new film from the always intriguing Gray. Also on board is Michael co-star, Miles Teller, who is best known for his stellar work in the masterpiece, Whiplash.

Paper Tiger is expected to further Gray’s dissection of the New York experience. It seems to be more relevant to New York than the NYFF’s opening night selection last year, After the Hunt. That movie which kick-started the 63rd New York Film Festival got a raw deal when it failed to succeed with critics or at the box-office, However, After the Hunt was, indeed, indirectly related to the New York experience with its colorful and charismatic characters and college setting. Paper Tiger is actually genuinely tied to the city, itself, which should make it a true New York Film Festival hit.

Set in the 1980’s, Paper Tiger will be premiering at the NYFF’s 64th edition on September 25th. James Gray is a master of capturing the New York experience on film and his cast assembled to tell his tale about a family’s experiences with the Russian mafia is one of the most intriguing ones he has ever put together.

Adam Driver (White Noise) has always been a versatile actor and the last time he worked with Johansson (always superb), it resulted in a movie, Marriage Story, that won almost unanimous critical acclaim. With a longer than average ovation at the Cannes Film Festival, some industry insiders believe that Paper Tiger could go all the way to the Oscars with its first-rate performances. While Gray’s Armageddon Time wasn’t necessarily a truly great film, it was solid and it helped set the stage for this new one which promises a thorough and probing analysis of its New York characters. See you on the Upper West Side for the new film on opening night (September 25th) at the 64th NYFF!

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