In the wake of all the franchise movies this year, can we pin hope on an original movie making it as a blockbuster? With Brad Pitt’s pulling power, maybe Ad Astra is it. Taking place in the near future, Ad Astra tells the tale of astronaut Roy McBride (Pitt) sent into space to find his father, Clifford (Tommy Lee Jones). Clifford McBride was presumed dead on a space mission, but it seems like NASA knew that he was busy experimenting with some extremely dangerous material, and is actually still alive.

From what we can gather from the first trailer, Ad Astra looks a bit of a mix between The Martian, Gravity, and a bit of Tintin in Explorers on the Moon thrown in for good measure. The projected is directed and co-written by James Gray, who recently did The Lost City of Z and The Immigrant. His take on Ad Astra is based more on Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, noting that “Space is awfully hostile to us”.  

The movie also stars Ruth Negga (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and Liv Tyler (Harlots), with perennial favourite, Donald Sutherland (M*A*S*H) also making an appearance. It’s hitting US theatres on the 20^th of September. Press the play button below to see if Pitt in Space holds any appeal.