Ad Astra: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones sci-fi epic

Stellar films with film stars at the fore are standard of late. Whether it's Ryan Gosling in First Man, Robert Pattinson in High Life or, later this year, Natalie Portman in Lucy in the Sky, audiences can't get enough of their favourite actors playing interstellar travellers who are isolated and upset.

The upcoming sci-fi drama, Ad Astra, sees another well-groomed star, this time Brad Pitt, go on a space journey that is as much about the abyss within as it is about the cosmic void beyond the Earth's atmosphere.

Pitt plays an engineer who has lost his father, played by Tommy Lee Jones, to space. Jones was on a mission headed towards Jupiter to find extraterrestrial life when,16 years in, connection with Earth was broken.

It is speculated that Pitt's experiments with a 'highly classified material' are linked with 'the surge', a mysterious phenomenon which is causing fires and plane crashes across the globe. Pitt is tasked with travelling to the outer reaches of the solar system to prevent its destruction; he hopes to find his father in the process.

The director, James Gray, has previously worked with Pitt on The Lost City of Z, one of the most highly acclaimed films of 2017, Anticipation for Ad Astra is further heightened by the casting of legendary actor Tommy Lee Jones, star of The Homesman, as well as Liv Tyler, star of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

This star-studded ensemble is set for release in September, the start of Oscar season, could very well predict an award nod for Pitt next season. If you want to see the actor at his finest, Ad Astra is a must-watch.