Focus Features picks up the rights to Wes Anderson’s next

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

I know there are a lot of people who have given up on Wes Anderson as a director. Their complaints are almost always, “His movies are all the same.” Visually, that’s just his style and that’ll never change. I understand the critique that the “daddy issues” seem shoehorned into each film but beyond that, I’m still enjoying the work on Anderson and look forward to what he’s doing next.

What he’s doing next in MOONRISE KINGDOM, a project that just began filming and was picked up by Focus Features for release. After Anderson’s deal with Disney ran out following THE LIFE AQUATIC, the director signed with Fox Searchlight and released two pictures – THE DARJEELING LIMITED and FANTASTIC MR. FOX. Now he’s off to another indie studio that seems very much in-tune to what Anderson is doing.

MOONRISE stars Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Ed Norton alongside traditional Anderson staples Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman. The film, based on a script Anderson wrote with Roman Coppola, follows a young boy and girl in 1960s New England who fall in love and run away together. The entire town sets off on a search to find the kids and (wait for it…) in the process, find themselves (cue: trailer music).

No word yet on when MOONRISE might hit theaters but it looks as if it’s something that could make it in time for this November or December should Focus want to push for some Oscar consideration.