Scarlett Johansson Reunites With ‘Paper Tiger’ Cast at NYFF

Scarlett Johansson joined Adam Driver, Miles Teller and filmmaker James Gray in New York on September 25 as Paper Tiger opened the 64th New York Film Festival. The Lincoln Center appearance reunited the film’s principal cast after Johansson missed its Cannes premiere in May because she was working on another production.

The actor arrived after an international flight and joked during the post-screening conversation about the early body-clock hour. On the red carpet and at the question-and-answer session, Johansson, Driver and Teller emphasized the easy rapport that developed during production.

A family scheme turns dangerous

Set in 1986, Gray’s crime drama follows brothers Irwin and Gary Pearl as they pursue a plan to profit from cleaning up Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal. The opportunity pulls them into conflict with the Russian mafia and puts growing pressure on their family ties. Johansson plays Linda, the wife of Teller’s character, while Driver portrays the other brother.

The New York screening offered Johansson her first chance to watch the completed movie in a festival setting. She had been filming The Exorcist: Martyrs when Paper Tiger made its world premiere at Cannes, making the NYFF opening a belated public reunion with the project.

New York launches the next chapter

Gray introduced the film briefly before the screening, then joined the cast for a discussion about its production and the trust among the group. NYFF artistic director Dennis Lim framed the movie as part of the festival’s commitment to singular filmmaking voices, even when a title has already debuted elsewhere.

Paper Tiger is scheduled for a limited theatrical release on November 13, followed by a wider expansion on November 20. Its opening-night position gives the film a prominent New York showcase before that rollout, while placing Johansson, Driver and Teller at the center of the festival’s first major red-carpet event.