Just when you thought Wes Anderson couldn’t get more Wes Anderson, he continues to Wes Anderson and still makes it look intriguing and hilarious. Focus Features has released the new trailer for The Phoenician Scheme. The studio previously collaborated with Anderson on Asteroid City and Moonrise Kingdom, which was a partnership that turned out very well for them as Asteroid City earned an impressive $53.8 million at the box office for an arthouse film, while Moonrise Kingdom grossed $68.3 million and was nominated for an Oscar for its screenplay.
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 (dating all the way back to his second feature, Rushmore), doesn’t appear in the trailer or in the cast list, but he was curiously announced as a cast member, so it could be possible he’ll be showing up in the film as a cameo of some sort.
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 30, with a wide expansion to follow on June 6. Universal Pictures International is handling international distribution.
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