The Phoenician Scheme (Wes Anderson, 2025)

[yoloswegmaster]

Wes Anderson on his next film:

”My next feature film will be linear, with Benicio Del Toro in every shot. I can’t tell you much more than that except that it will be about espionage, a father-daughter relationship, and, let’s say, with a rather dark tone.”

[flyonthewall2983]

Ooh

[therewillbeblus]

Interesting, if Benicio is in every shot maybe this will be more micro like his earlier work. Not sure if he’s been able to stay fixed on his actors in a level, intimate way in the last decade+

[knives]

GBH and it’s centralized Fiennes performance was in the last decade.

[therewillbeblus]

Well every one of his movies involves engagement with leads, but I’m thinking about the kind of intimate staging of Darjeeling. In GBH there was still the Russian-doll storytelling and plenty of interrupting detours. The camera always being on Benicio in every shot reminds me of Darjeeling where at least one or two of the three brothers were in most shots, often intimately close. In GBH a lot of it is in wider shots incorporating many players and action and other interests. Maybe this will be like that too, but my comment was hypothesizing a return to… less bombast?

[pianocrash]

Wes Anderson on his next film:

”My next feature film will be linear, with Benicio Del Toro in every shot. I can’t tell you much more than that except that it will be about espionage, a father-daughter relationship, and, let’s say, with a rather dark tone.”

Sicaro 3: El año de la Simetría (aka Josh Brolin In Sandals Y3)

Some real correlation = causation fans here...

It's true, Anderson may be a lesser screenwriter now all by himself! Admittedly, I don't know what Wilson's specific contributions are (and I'd have known little about, say, Baumbach's writing abilities based on Aquatic and Fox alone), but it would be interesting to see Anderson and Wilson team up again for what effect it might have.

In the past, all aforementioned parties have stated that Wes' second attributed writer is often the person who oversees the scriptwriting process as an ideas bouncer/checks & balances role, rather than a high-chunk percentage contributor. I don't think the WGA leans into that situation too hard, either, but if you see a big difference in quality vs. sole authorship, your eyes are bigger than mine. I'd like to think that second person probably opens the Window Of Humanity around his eyeline from time to time (releases the smoke, too), but YMMV.

[Never Cursed]

Not sure if anyone's posted about the film at all here, but apparently Anderson's next (currently filming in London) is being shot by Bruno Delbonnel rather than Robert Yeoman. I thought that might be the first time Anderson hasn't worked with Yeoman on a live-action feature/major production, but apparently Roman Coppola shot The Swan in the Henry Sugar anthology

[Never Cursed]

The Phoenician Scheme opens limited May 30 and wide June 6, so expect to hear about it at Cannes

[domino harvey]

It also stars Michael Cera!

[tehthomas]

Love the title. Is this like Wes Anderson doing Pakula?

[Matt]

Or John Grisham

[Roger Ryan]

Why not both?!

[brundlefly]

Trailer.

[lacritfan]

Kate Winslet's daughter is 24? Fuck I'm old.

[domino harvey]

Well, on the one hand, yeah, this looks fun. On the other hand, I thought this was described as being outside of his usual mode. There's no way this movie is anything but more of the same based on this trailer. Also, did we know Tom Hanks was in this before the trailer dropped?

[Walter Kurtz]

There's no way this movie is anything but more of the same based on this trailer.

I can see why teenagers love him.

"An auteur who never grows up is still an auteur!"

[Matt]

Michael Cera doing Cuddles Sakall, apparently?

Interesting how Anderson has developed a new repertory company around himself with the last few projects. Gone are the Wilson brothers and Bill Murray, in are Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Geoffrey Wright. Of course, they all seem to suit his newer tone of deadpan delivery over the ironic, smartalecky tone of his earlier features.

[therewillbeblus]

From his brief moment in the trailer, Mathieu Amalric seems to be channelling Fiennes' M. Gustave H.

[Brian C]

Michael Cera doing Cuddles Szakall, apparently?

Interesting how Anderson has developed a new repertory company around himself with the last few projects. Gone are the Wilson brothers and Bill Murray, in are Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Geoffrey Wright. Of course, they all seem to suit his newer tone of deadpan delivery over the ironic, smartalecky tone of his earlier features.

With the exception of Wright, this seems like a downgrade to me - all those performances felt like weak links in Asteroid City. Although IMDb says that Murray is in this one, hard to say.

[therewillbeblus]

Rupert Friend has at least been a surprisingly great fit

[Monterey Jack]

Wes Anderson, when asked to venture outside his comfort zone:

[ryannichols7]

love how we're doing projections based off a trailer

can't wait to see it. glad we don't have to wait long

[aox]

Also, keep in mind Bill Murray was supposed to be in Asteroid City. It was a walk-on part, but you could say the same about his part in The French Dispatch too.

[domino harvey]

This is getting the worst notices of his career (though for some of the critics that still means lukewarm praise)

[thirtyframesasecond]

I suppose you know what you're getting from a Wes Anderson film nowadays. Would be interesting if he tried something different.