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 as Zsa-zsa Korda, one of the richest men in Europe. While precise story details are still thin, the first trailer tells you all you need to know. Check it out and we'll fill in a few more points.
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.
Watch the Trailer for The Phoenician Scheme
The first trailer for THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME is dense with jokes and banter and Anderson's dizzying array of characters. It seems clear that characters played by Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, and Michael Cera are the leads, and there's a lot of activity swirling around them.
If Anderson's last movie, ASTEROID CITY, was on the more gentle side of his storytelling, this looks like it veers in the opposite direction, into the totally madcap.
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 even with the trailer 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. The trailer certainly shows off a general sense of composition that will be familiar to any Anderson fan — but there's also a noticeably unique energy level in the first footage.
So we're eager to see how it turned out! Reports say that Benicio 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.