Wes Anderson shares plot details for Asteroid City, starring Jason Schwartzman and Scarlett Johansson

The director's 11th feature film will be released by Focus Features

By Katie Chow  |  July 20, 2022 | 10:29pm
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Wes Anderson shares plot details for Asteroid City, starring Jason Schwartzman and Scarlett Johansson
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Prepare your dramatic eyeliner: Wes Anderson’s follow-up to The French Dispatch is getting closer. As reported by Variety, the acclaimed director’s 11th feature film has been acquired for distribution by Focus Features, who have released the following official synopsis:

Asteroid City is a poetic meditation on the meaning of life. It tells the story of a fictional American desert town circa 1955 and its Junior Stargazer convention, which brings together students and parents from across the country for scholarly competition, rest/recreation, comedy, drama, romance, and more.

Well, you can’t say it doesn’t sound whimsical! Though that description is light on details, it sure seems like there’s room for plenty of dry-humored hijinks, enviable costuming, and complicated relationships with father figures.

As always, the cast is stacked. Though plenty of the director’s frequent collaborators are on board, including Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Willem Dafoe, and Tony Revolori, a number of newcomers are in the mix, such as Margot Robbie, Tom Hanks, Steve Carell, Hong Chau, Matt Dillon, Hope Davis, and Maya Hawke.

Asteroid City marks the second Anderson film for Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, Rupert Friend, and Stephen Park; Johansson and Cranston previously only appeared as voice actors in Isle Of Dogs. Though Bill Murray broke the news of Asteroid City’s title last year–and has been part of nearly the entire Anderson filmography–he is absent from Focus Features’ cast list.

Asteroid City filmed in Spain last year. The film was co-written by Roman Coppola, who previously worked with Anderson on The Darjeeling Limited, Moonrise Kingdom, Isle Of Dogs, and The French Dispatch.

Anderson already has his next project lined up. After 2009's The Fantastic Mr. Fox, he’s doing another Roald Dahl adaptation, this time in live action. The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar will be a Netflix film starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, and Richard Ayoade.

Focus Features has not shared a release date for Asteroid City.

 
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