Focus Features has worked with filmmaker Wes Anderson on Asteroid City and Moonrise Kingdom, a collaboration turned out very well for them. As Variety notes, Asteroid City (pictured above) “earned an impressive (for an arthouse film) $53.8 million at the box office,” while Moonrise Kingdom “grossed $68.3 million and was nominated for an Oscar for its screenplay.” So, it’s a good move that Focus and Anderson are getting back in business with each other, as Focus has just acquired the worldwide distribution rights to Anderson’s latest film, The Phoenician Scheme.
Anderson directed The Phoenician Scheme from a screenplay he wrote with Roman Coppola, who previously worked on the scripts for Anderson’s films The Darjeeling Limited, Moonrise Kingdom, Isle of Dogs, The French Dispatch, and Asteroid City. Filming took place in Germany from March to June of 2024.
Described as an espionage comedy drama thriller, The Phoenician Scheme tells the story of a family and a family business. Benicio del Toro stars as Zsa-zsa Korda, one of the richest men in Europe, with Mia Threapleton as Sister Liesl, his daughter/a nun, and Michael Cera as Bjorn Lund, their tutor.
Also in the cast are Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Riz Ahmed, Mathieu Amalric, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Richard Ayoade, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis, and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Bill Murray, who has been in most of Anderson’s movies (going all the way back to his second feature, Rushmore), doesn’t appear on that press release cast list, but he was announced as a cast member, so he’ll probably be showing up in the film.
The Phoenician Scheme was produced by Anderson for his American Empirical Pictures banner alongside longtime collaborators Steven Rales of Indian Paintbrush, Jeremy Dawson, and John Peet. The movie was made in association with Studio Babelsberg.
Focus Features is planning to give the film a limited release domestically on May 30th, with a wide expansion to follow on June 6th. Universal Pictures International is handling international distribution.
Are you glad to hear that the latest Wes Anderson movie is only a few months away? Share your thoughts on The Phoenician Scheme by leaving a comment below.
The comment section exists to allow readers to discuss the article constructively and respectfully, focused on the topic at hand.
What’s Not Allowed