Fresh Insights into Paper Tiger: Cast Reveals and Cannes Hype

By  Published May 11, 2026, 8:13 PM EDT Hannah Gearan (she/her) is has been writing for ScreenRant for over three years. Her deep cinema love traces back to age 11, when she equipped herself with a spiral-bound notebook, rated all the films she watched, and declared herself a critic. About a decade later, she received a BA from Wesleyan University, where she studied Film, Environmental Studies, and Writing. Hannah’s short film, Toxic Faucets, has screened at numerous film festivals, including the Independent Film Festival of Boston (IFFBoston). As a Movie News writer now, she draws upon her vast experience studying, making, and analyzing film as she approaches dynamic breaking stories.  follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

looks wrapped in some tense drama in the new images for Paper Tiger.

Paper Tiger is an upcoming crime drama from director James Gray. Johansson leads an impressive cast that also includes and Miles Teller. The film focuses on two brothers who become misguided on their journey towards the American Dream, finding themselves entrenched in the world of the Russian mafia instead.

New images from reveal Johansson and the rest of the cast in some intense situations. In the first image, Teller and Johansson embrace in what looks to be an emotional scene. Another still shows a lighter moment of togetherness between the family, while solo shots of Teller and Driver hint once again at a more serious note. Check out the images below:

Paper Tiger is soon to make its premiere at the , which kicks off on Tuesday, May 12 and runs through Saturday, May 23. The drama will hit the screen on Saturday, May 16 and will be in competition for the coveted Palme d'Or.

Gray is no stranger to the Cannes scene at this point. The 57-year-old director made his Cannes debut in 2000 with the film The Yards. Since then, the director went on to release five more films in competition for the big award: We Own the Night, Two Lovers, The Immigrant, Armageddon Time, and now, Paper Tiger.

So, the release of this film will be a good chance for Gray to get another chance at winning one of the most sought-after film festival honors in the industry. He will have some stiff competition, facing up against major global auteurs like Pedro Almodóvar, Pawel Pawlikowski, Cristian Mungiu, and Asghar Farhadi.

Beyond a Cannes return for Gray, Paper Tiger also represents a reunion opportunity for leads Driver and Johansson. The pair previously starred opposite each other in the , which earned both actors Oscar nominations. This film proved that they could play off each other well, setting a good precedent for Paper Tiger.

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From the looks of these first images, Paper Tiger will feature a similarly elevated family drama. The exact nature of the tension is yet to be revealed, but with a Russian mafia plot promised, the film is sure to have some intense storylines.

The film's Cannes debut will arrive just this week, meaning that its early reviews will come in sooner rather than later. Films released at Cannes can end up gaining significant traction, especially those with releases already lined up from a known distributor (Neon has Paper Tiger). The reviews will help determine whether Paper Tiger can have momentum during awards season later this year.

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