Before Wes Anderson skipped this year’s Oscars to film “The Phoenician Scheme” in Germany, fans already knew which actors would be at the heart of the director’s latest ensemble.  Benecio del Toro and Mia Threapleton star as a father and daughter whose family business leads them into a dark espionage tale, with Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, and Anderson regular Bill Murray also starring.  

Continue reading ‘The Phoenician Scheme’: Wes Anderson’s Espionage Flick Reportedly Also Stars Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Willem Dafoe & More at The Playlist.

Nominated for seven Academy Awards, filmmaker Wes Anderson won his first Oscar this past weekend, the Best Live Action Short Film for his 33-minute short, “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” starring Benedict Cumberbatch. But during the Oscar ceremony, Anderson was nowhere to be found and couldn’t accept in person.

Was the director thumbing his nose at the Academy? Not at all. As many suspected, Anderson wasn’t available as he’s about to shoot his new movie, rumored to be called, “The Phoenician Scheme.”

READ MORE: Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl Shorts Review: The Preciousness Of Wes Anderson-Isms Are Pushed To Their Artisanally-Crafted Limits [Netflix]

“If I could have been there, I (along with [producer] Steven Rales) would have said ‘Thank you’ to: the family of Roald Dahl; the team at Netflix; our cast and crew,” he wrote in a statement, explaining his absence “And also: if I had not met Owen Wilson in a corridor at the University of Texas between classes when I was 18 years old, I would certainly not be receiving this award tonight — but unfortunately, Steven and I are in Germany and we start shooting our new movie early tomorrow morning, so I did not actually receive the award or get a chance to say any of that.”

While not an official title, “The Phoenician Scheme” is said to be a spy/espionage and family drama that stars Benicio del Toro, Michael Cera, and Bill Murray.

Continue reading Wes Anderson Missed The Oscars To Shoot New Spy Movie, While ‘Henry Sugar’ Shorts Turn Into Netflix Anthology [Trailer] at The Playlist.

Wes Anderson was first nominated for an Academy Award in 2022 in the Original Screenplay category for “The Royal Tenenbaums.” He’s earned seven nominations since. At the 96th Academy Awards, the celebrated American filmmaker in Paris won his first Oscar in a somewhat unlikely category, Live Action Short. But, it was for “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” the adaptation of a literary figure close to Anderson’s heart, Roald Dahl.

Continue reading Wes Anderson Wins His First Oscar For ‘Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar’ at The Playlist.

The artisanally-hand crafted worlds of Wes Anderson are obviously whimsically delicate, precious, often delightful, frequently ornate, and are globally renowned for their visual distinctiveness: precise, symmetrical, soft-hued pastel color-inflected, and rigorous to the point of being lovingly caricatured on social media TikTok videos. Perhaps what isn’t as apparent to the viewer is just how detailed and fastidious Anderson’s screenplays have become in recent years, like prescriptive miniature novels in their own right.

In other words, the written word is really just as important to Anderson’s film, though often overshadowed by his eccentric and idiosyncratic visual style (though he’s been nominated for Best Original Screenplay three times, so someone is paying attention).

Continue reading Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl Shorts Review: The Preciousness Of Wes Anderson-Isms Are Pushed To Their Artisanally-Crafted Limits [Netflix] at The Playlist.

This has been a really productive year for Wes Anderson. This summer, we saw the filmmaker release his latest star-studded affair, “Asteroid City,” which got his fans very excited. Now, we’re eagerly anticipating his next project—a series of shorts—arriving on Netflix this month. But even with multiple projects getting released in 2023, we are still trying to figure out what’s next. Well, according to Wes Anderson, he already has the script written for his new film.

Continue reading Wes Anderson Says Michael Cera Is Joining Benicio Del Toro In His Next Film at The Playlist.

Earlier this year, Wes Anderson released the highly-anticipated film, “Asteroid City.” That film had a fancy festival debut and earned rave reviews, placing the filmmaker in his familiar awards season territory. But “Asteroid City” isn’t the only Anderson project coming to screens this year. Later this month, Netflix is the home of what might be the most experimental Anderson project we’ve ever seen. 

READ MORE: ‘The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar’ Review: Wes Anderson & Roald Dahl Are A Match Made In Cinema Heaven [Venice]

In a recent post on Netflix’s TUDUM, we got details about Wes Anderson’s upcoming series of Roald Dahl shorts, headlined by the recently premiered “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.” And over the past several months, there was discussion about how Netflix would release the anthology.

Continue reading Netflix Releasing Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl Shorts As A 4-Night Event This Month at The Playlist.

Wes Anderson fans were surprised when the filmmaker revealed earlier this summer that his upcoming Netflix project “The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar” is only 37 minutes long. But there’s a good reason for its short length. Variety reports that, while at the Venice Film Festival for the “Henry Sugar” world premiere, Anderson announced that he has three other Roald Dahl story adaptations on the way, making a Netflix-exclusive anthology.

Continue reading ‘The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar’: Wes Anderson Reveals His Short Anthology Adapts Three More Roald Dahl Stories at The Playlist.

British author Roald Dahl has long been referred to as one of the best storytellers for children of the 20th century, a seemingly flattering but objectively flawed observation. Dahl is, after all, not just one of the best storytellers for children of the 20th century. He is one of the best storytellers of the 20th century period. 

This sentiment guides many cinematic Dahl adaptations, whether or not they come wrapped as children’s films.

Continue reading ‘The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar’ Review: Wes Anderson & Roald Dahl Are A Match Made In Cinema Heaven [Venice] at The Playlist.

Is Wes Anderson entering a prolific period of his career? It certainly appears so, as after premiering “Asteroid City” at Cannes in May, he has a new short ready for the Venice Film Festival. And after “The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar” debuts on the Lido, it will be a Netflix streaming exclusive.

READ MORE: Venice 2023: New Films From Bradley Cooper, David Fincher, Sofia Coppola and…Woody Allen

The streamer now has the exact date when subscribers should expect Anderson’s short film to arrive: September 27.

Continue reading ‘The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar’: Wes Anderson’s New Short Arrives On Netflix On September 27 at The Playlist.

Whether a casual moviegoer or a die-hard cinephile, a Wes Anderson film is likely among your favorites. Anderson is a meticulous director who pours everything into the stories he tells. His most recent film, “Asteroid City,” is no different, and falls once again into the wacky, visually stunning, and amazingly cast categories the director’s known for. 

The film, which had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year before its theatrical release, takes place in a fictional desert town in the 1950s where a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention is being held after life-changing events happen.

Continue reading Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City’ Celebrating Home Release With Exclusive Gift Set [Contest] at The Playlist.

Despite an ongoing SAG strike, which could mean that the event features no major stars, the Venice Film Festival announced an incredibly star-studded slate of films for 2023. Seriously, even by Venice standards, the festival features an absolutely ridiculous number of major films that will have an impact on the rest of the year, especially during awards season. And one of the most anticipated is the latest from Wes Anderson, the short “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” which is expected to have its debut out of competition.

Continue reading ‘The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar’ First Look: Wes Anderson’s New Film To Debut At Venice & Stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Ben Kingsley & More at The Playlist.

Another Wes Anderson movie, another stacked ensemble cast: such is the case for “Asteroid City,” the director’s latest. But Anderson fans will notice a regular of his conspicuously absent from his latest film: Bill Murray, who’s had parts in each of Anderson’s past nine movies. So why wasn’t Murray in “Asteroid City”? Well, he came down with COVID-19 just days before he was supposed to show up on set in Spain.

Continue reading ‘Asteroid City’: Bill Murray Is Actually In Wes Anderson’s Latest Film, Kind Of at The Playlist.

Earlier this week, James Gunn cast David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan in his upcoming “Superman: Legacy” as Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane. But who will play Kal-El’s main adversary, Lex Luthor, in the first DCU film? According to reports, it’s down to Alexander Skarsgård and Bill Skarsgård to play the villainous mad scientists/CEO. And that’s just the way Bryan Cranston wants it: he’s never understood why Superman fans ever envisioned him as a perfect candidate for the part.

Continue reading Bryan Cranston Doesn’t Understand Why People Want Him To Play Lex Luthor: “What Is It? Because I Had A Bald Head?” at The Playlist.

Despite “Asteroid City” receiving mixed-to-positive reviews, it appears Wes Anderson still has a ton of fans out there excitedly rushing to theaters to see his work, with the film earning a really solid opening weekend box office. However, while “Asteroid City” has only just hit theaters, all eyes are on what he has next, a new Netflix film, “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” which is expected to arrive later this year.

Continue reading Wes Anderson Talks ‘Henry Sugar’ & Experimenting With A Narrative Method That “Doesn’t Exist In Any Other Film” at The Playlist.

Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City” is in wide release this weekend (read our review), and as we’ve noted over the last few weeks, the filmmaker is moving at a quick pace never seen before in his career. 2022 and 2023 saw back-to-back Cannes premieres, “The French Dispatch” and “Asteroid City,” and later this year, he will release yet another film for Netflix, “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” which is actually only 37 minutes long.

Continue reading Wes Anderson’s Next Film Is A Father/Daughter Espionage Film Featuring Benicio Del Toro & A “Darker Tone” at The Playlist.

Already in limited release, Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City” opens in a wider release this weekend, Friday, June 23. Essentially split into two parts, the film centers on a grieving father (Jason Schwartzman) who travels with his tech-obsessed family to a small rural ‘Asteroid City’ to compete in a junior stargazing event, only to have his perspective on life— his cosmology as it where— disrupted forever by world-altering events.

Continue reading ‘Asteroid City’: Scarlett Johansson, Jason Schwartzman, Jeffrey Wright & More Talk Uncertainty, Meaning & Wes Anderson’s Stargazing Creation at The Playlist.

It’s not hard to imagine how the idea of being at the center of a “trend” on TikTok could be pretty terrifying. Obviously, when it happens to celebrities, sometimes it’s for the wrong reasons and a career is destroyed. However, there are other times when people on TikTok lovingly embrace a celebrity and start a trend about celebrating them. (Pedro Pascal has seen this happen quite often in 2023.) It’s the latter that is currently happening with Wes Anderson, as people all over TikTok and other social media realms are mimicking his whimsical filmmaking and unmistakable style for videos.

Continue reading Wes Anderson Has Zero Interest In Your TikTok Parodies & Refuses To Watch Them at The Playlist.

Wes Anderson’s soundtracks were initially known for their Rolling Stones, David Bowie, The Who, and lots of ’60s and 70s rock at first. Eventually, that started to change; Anderson split with composer Mark Mothersbaugh, found a new ally in French composer Alexandre Desplat, and the music choices were less immediately identifiable, not quite as conventionally hip, but still tasteful choices (think the use of Hank Williams in “Moonrise Kingdom,” The Bobby Fuller Band in “Fantastic Mr.

Continue reading ‘Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City’ Soundtrack Features Jarvis Cocker, Alexandre Desplat, Bing Crosby & More at The Playlist.

With “Asteroid City” starting its limited theatrical release this weekend before going wide on June 23, Wes Anderson looks ahead to upcoming projects. And while he already has another projected line up he wants to shoot this Fall, before that comes “The Wonderful Life Of Henry Sugar.” The filmmaker’s Roald Dahl adaptation with Netflix is already in the can, but Variety reports (via IndieWire) that it’s less a feature film than a glorified short.

Continue reading ‘The Wonderful Life Of Henry Sugar’: Wes Anderson Says His Upcoming Netflix Project Is Only 37 Minutes Long at The Playlist.

Just weeks after its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, Wes Anderson‘s “Asteroid City” hits limited screens on June 16 before opening wide on June 23. That’s a good turnaround from premiere to theatrical release, but par for the course for Mr. Anderson. But the turnaround between “Asteroid City” and the director’s next project, “The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar” might be even more impressive.

Continue reading Wes Anderson Is Done With ‘The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar’ For Netflix & Is Already Prepping His Thirteenth Feature at The Playlist.

CANNES – He had a bite of Wes Anderson’s world voicing Chief in the stop-motion animated “Isle of Dogs,” but Bryan Cranston is now officially a member of the auteur’s growing live action ensemble. The six-time Emmy Award winner, two-time Tony Award winner and Oscar nominee joined the club with his role as the inquisitive 1950s television program narrator in “Asteroid City.” And, if you’ve ever spoken to any of the other longtime Anderson collaborators, you quickly learn that for actors, a Wes Anderson movie is a blast.

Continue reading Bryan Cranston on Wes Anderson, ‘Asteroid City’ &, Oh Yeah, Cannes at The Playlist.

CANNES – For someone who is notoriously media-shy, Wes Anderson was in a delightful mood at the press conference for his new film, “Asteroid City.” And considering the star power alongside him on the dias, he dominated the conversation. Maybe that shouldn’t be a surprise considering the power of his cinematic brand.

READ MORE: Robert De Niro finds Trump parallel in his real life ‘Killers of The Flower Moon’ character [Cannes]

Releasing in theaters next month, the 1955-set drama centers on a bunch of strangers who, along with their teenage children, are quarantined in a remote desert town after an extraterrestrial visit.

Continue reading ‘Asteroid City’: Wes Anderson Talks Aliens, Actors & Secret Animatics [Cannes] at The Playlist.

Wes Anderson is a genre; one of decorative embellishment, ornamental whimsy, baroque fantasy, and symmetrical precision. It wasn’t always this way, and it’s also not just superficial embroidery. “Rushmore” had a moving bittersweetness anchoring its fanciful formal wit, and “The Royal Tenenbaums” refined Anderson’s patented wistful stories about romantics, failed dreams, and faded glories within imaginative color-coded costumes and increasingly meticulous aesthetics.

READ MORE: 2023 Cannes Film Festival: 21 Must-See Movies To Watch

Somewhere in the middle, the American filmmaker became a little unsure of his identity amidst sudden reproach (‘Life Aquatic,’ ‘Darjeeling Limited’); however, he quickly realized his inimitable cinematic handwriting made him unique.

Continue reading ‘Asteroid City’ Review: Wes Anderson Explores The Loneliness Of The Cosmos & Our Place In It Through Creation & Grief [Cannes] at The Playlist.

Do you love whimsy? How about saturated colors and a period desert setting? Then you’re in luck! Wes Anderson has all of that, in spades, with his new film, “Asteroid City.”

READ MORE: 2023 Cannes Film Festival: 21 Must-See Movies To Watch

As seen in the three new clips from “Asteroid City,” Wes Anderson’s new comedy is, well, very much a Wes Anderson film.

Continue reading ‘Asteroid City’: Take A Trip To Wes Anderson’s Star-Studded Desert Town In 3 New Clips at The Playlist.

Directors like Wes Anderson are meticulous, with hyper-detailed work that usually only comes every two-three years at best. But the American ex-pat, who lives in France full-time now, has been working at a super-fast clip lately—some of that due to the pandemic pile-up. Last year was “The French Dispatch,” a movie about American ex-pats and a kind of love letter to The New Yorker, and this year, Anderson already has another film in the can and debuting in June.

Continue reading ‘Asteroid City’ Trailer: Wes Anderson Tackles Phenomenons, Aliens & More With An All-Star Cast In June at The Playlist.