After working with Searchlight Pictures for his previous three features, Wes Anderson will reteam with Moonrise Kingdom distributors Focus Features for his next project. Asteroid City, which was shot in the fall of 2021, still doesn’t have a confirmed release date, but new plot details have arrived.
Described as “a poetic meditation on the meaning of life,” the film “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.”
The massive ensemble includes Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Ed Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Stephen Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie, Tony Revolori, Jake Ryan, Grace Edwards, Aristou Meehan, Sophia Lillis, Ethan Lee, Jeff Goldblum, Rita Wilson, and many more.
Peter Kujawski, Chairman of Focus Features, said, “We are beyond thrilled to be the global home for Asteroid City, bringing Focus back in business with Wes and his producing partners. Wes is a generational talent whose films delight audiences around the world; and we’re sure that the combination of his incredibly emotional story and vision combined with the insanely talented group of actors he has assembled, will mean that Asteroid City will be no different.”
Earlier this year, Anderson also began production on a new Roald Dahl adaptation of The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, Rupert Friend, and Richard Ayoade, it’s set up at Netflix, who haven’t announced a release date yet.