Wes Anderson’s next movie, The Phoenician Scheme, has been quietly underway for years, so it comes as a pleasant surprise that the Moonrise Kingdom and The Royal Tenenbaums filmmaker’s next wonderfully weird project will arrive within months. Considering the usual drip-drip of information and speculation for most anticipated movies these days, silence followed by a sudden announcement feels like a sooner-than-expected arrival, and we’ll take it. Because if this movie rolls out with a vibe like every other Anderson movie, the project should be a balm during our current times.
With The Phoenician Scheme, Anderson has returned to his frequent Focus Features stomping grounds, and the studio set a limited release date of May 30 with wide release to follow on June 6. According to Deadline, the film was co-written by frequent Anderson collaborator Roman Coppola and revolves around “tells the story of a family and a family business.”
Variety reports that Benecio del Toro leads the cast (as Zsa-zsa Korda, a ridiculously wealthy man) and several frequent faces from other Anderson projects are onboard. Those include Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston, Tom Hanks, Rupert Friend, and Benedict Cumberbatch. Additionally, Mia Threapleton portrays Korda’s daughter with Cera as her tutor. The cast will be rounded out by Riz Ahmed, Mathieu Amalric, Jeffrey Wright, Hope Davis, and Richard Ayoade.
That list leaves a rather large Bill Murray-shaped hole, given that he is a frequent Anderson teammate, so is he involved? Well in early 2024, Deadline reported that the nine-times Anderson cast member joined the project alongside del Toro and Cera. However, Murray’s name does not appear in the list of names detailed in current coverage of this project, although a recent Entertainment Weekly article (which quotes Murray regarding recent controversies) does mention his involvement in The Phoenician Scheme, so until Murray or Anderson declares differently, the jury remains out there.