This spring saw the release of Wes Anderson’s ninth feature film and his second stop-motion animation, Isle of Dogs, an ode to Japanese cinema and specifically the films of Akira Kurosawa. For the filmmaker’s follow-up, he looks to be inspired by another country’s cinema: France. The first details are now trickling in for his tenth film, which will begin shooting early next year.
Update: The film will be a musical, Charente Libre reports.
The French publication Sudoest reports that The Grand Budapest Hotel director–who is currently living in France–will embark on a four-month shoot for this new film in the southwest commune of Angoulême this February. The only story detail thus far is that the project will take place just after World War II. Considering the deep influence of the French New Wave on the director’s work, one wonders what he’s conjured up here. As for casting, nothing has been confirmed, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see a mix of his regular troupe and some French icons. (Considering she was in the French voice cast for his two stop-motion animations, one can only imagine how much fun Isabelle Huppert would have in a live-action Wes Anderson film.)
As we await more details, if one is looking for an Anderson fix, he’s co-curated a new art exhibit with Juman Malouf, set to be on display at Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna in Austria starting in November. Titled “The Spitzmaus Mummy in a Coffin and Other Treasures from the Kunsthistorisches Museum,” see a teaser below. And if you don’t have the means to travel to Austria, the director can be seen in conversation with Bob Balaban following screenings of Isle of Dogs at Alamo Drafthouses on National Dog Day this month (August 26th).