First Look: Zach Braff orchestrates an elderly, all-star heist for 'Going in Style'

The signatures of Zach Braff’s two-film directorial oeuvre—a chill indie soundtrack and suburban ennui—are nowhere to be seen in his upcoming remake of the 1979 heist movie Going in Style, which stars Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Alan Arkin as retirees who lose their pensions and set out to steal from the banks that robbed them.

The film, due out May 6, was more than just a change in style for Braff. In addition to the pressures that come with making his first studio feature, he had to direct a group consisting almost entirely of Hollywood icons. Thankfully, the cast—which also includes Christopher Lloyd and Ann-Margret—was accommodating. “These actors have been extraordinarily supportive,” Braff says. “They really wanted me to not be intimidated by their legendary status and really direct them.”

On top of working with this caliber of cast, Going in Style gave Braff the opportunity to play in a genre he’s always loved, the heist film. It’s just an added bonus that the screenplay written by Ted Melfi (St. Vincent) targets some very real-world bad guys.

“There is such animosity toward the banks and people feeling like they never got their due after 2008,” Braff says. “There’s something incredibly fun about the superheroes who are getting their revenge finally on the banks are Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Christopher Lloyd.”