I have only posted The Lost City of Z portion of the interview, link to full interview at bottom of page.

What is going to happen and will be next following Gray’s upcoming period drama, “The Immigrant” starring Marion Cotillard, Joaquin Phoenix and Jeremy Renner, is his long-gestating adaptation of the book “The Lost City of Z” (ironically, a project that Brad Pitt’s Plan B brought to him several years ago).

“’The Lost City of Z’ looks like it will happen,” Gray said with his casual cautiousness. “That's got Benedict Cumberbatch [in the lead] who's perfectly cast. I've raised the money for that, and I may go do that in January.” (Though last night at BAMcinematek, during a Q&A which yours truly moderated, Gray said September). Co-starring Robert Pattinson, who Gray confirmed is still attached and recently also said the film would likely shoot in Jan, “The Lost City Of Z” is set in 1925 and centers on a legendary British explorer who ventured into the Amazon jungle in search of a fabled civilization and never again returned.

Gray said the shooting locations will likely be the U.K., and for the jungle sequences, Colombia. What kind of movie should we expect? Last we spoke Gray teased the movie as “epic and hallucinogenic.”

“People have asked me about ‘Apocalypse Now’ and those kinds of movies,” he admitted about reference points for the movie. “Of course those are all great and they’re a huge inspiration and so is [David] Lean. But I’m really trying, the older I get to forget the kind of approach which I've had. On the last two movies I've watched far fewer movies beforehand and I'm trying to come at the pieces as organically as I can and not think of other movies. Now of course unconsciously that shit's always going to come out, I'm always going to rip off something.”


Source: http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/james-gray-says-lost-city-of-z-will-shoot-next-talks-his-sci-fi-project-dances-with-brad-pitt-more-20140506