THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL and THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS filmmaker Wes Anderson is remarkably consistent. On average, every two to three years, he debuts a new movie. It's been two years since ASTEROID CITY (with a handful of Netflix shorts in between), and now we're about to get Anderson's latest film. THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME is a story about family, wealth, and betrayal, and as you would expect, it features a stellar cast that mixes Anderson regulars with a handful of players who are new to his ensembles.
Co-written by Anderson and his regular collaborator Roman Coppola, THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME tells "the story of a family and a family business." It features Benicio del Toro (seen above in Anderson's 2021 movie THE FRENCH DISPATCH) as Zsa-zsa Korda, one of the richest men in Europe. We're waiting for the first images from the movie, but we can tell you a few things before Focus Features reveals more details.
The New Wes Anderson Movie Opens in May
Unlike most movie announcements, this one is not coming many months or even years before the film's release. THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME will open limited on May 30, 2025, then go wide on June 6. That means the movie will likely premiere at the film festival in Cannes, which begins on May 13.
Is There a Trailer for The Phoenician Scheme?
No trailer has been released for THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME. There are no official photos, either, or even a poster.
The release for this movie appears to be similar to what Focus did with Anderson's last movie, ASTEROID CITY, which got a trailer at the end of March. So, the first trailer for Anderson's new movie might only be weeks away!
Of Course, the Cast of Wes Anderson's New Movie Is Tremendous
In addition to Benicio del Toro, who steps up to play the leading role, there's a positively luminous cast in THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME. Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, and Tom Hanks play major roles. Bryan Cranston, Riz Ahmed, Jeffrey Wright, and Scarlett Johansson are in the movie, too.
And there's a massive supporting cast that includes many actors who have worked with Anderson in the past — some just recently, and several regularly, such as Bill Murray. They include Richard Ayoade, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Willem Dafoe.
Additionally, we'll seeMathieu Amalric, Tonio Arango, Aysha Joy Samuel, Mohamed Chahrour, Imke Büchel, Anna Bardorf, Imad Mardnli, Jaime Ferkic, Antonia Desplat, and Sabine Hollweck in the movie, though we know nothing about their roles.
The Phoenician Scheme Pairs Anderson With a New Cinematographer
All of Anderson's live-action features have been shot by cinematographer Robert Yeoman. But for THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME, Anderson recruited Bruno Delbonnel. He and Anderson have worked together on a commercial in the past, but this will be their first feature together.
It's too early to know whether or not that will mean this movie will look different from Anderson's other films as a result of that change. We're eager to see how it turned out! Reports say that Benecio del Toro is in every shot of this movie, which would also be a fun new stylistic approach for the filmmaker.
THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME opens on May 30.
All images courtesy of Focus Features and Searchlight Pictures.