Mary Jane-wearing, Velvet Underground-listening, Timothée Chalamet-stanning twee friends, listen up: We finally have some details about the new Wes Anderson film, Asteroid City, to fuel you on this Wednesday morning. The semi-secretive project that has been filming in Spain since 2021 has wrapped on shooting, and from the title alone we are predicting an asteroid hitting Barcelona, soundtracked to David Bowie’s Five Years and featuring Adrien Brody running for his life in a tracking shot. Too farfetched a guess?
What is the plot of Asteroid City?
An excellent question, given Anderson’s films famously don’t have linear, traditional plots (excluding The Grand Budapest Hotel). Details of the film’s plot is being kept under wraps, however Spanish newspapers have reported sets included train stations – the man loves to ride that rail – and many rolling landscapes. Initially, the film was speculated to be a romance however in February, industry insiders claim it to be about a group of brainy teenagers.
Who has been cast in the film?
As with any new Anderson film, Asteroid City features a strong brood of Anderson favourites who have featured across filmography for more than 20 years. In the latest addition to his cinematic palmarès, expect to see the aforementioned Brody, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Toni Revolori and Bryan Cranston, alongside newcomers Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie, Scarlett Johansen and Maya Hawke. Bill Murray will also make his 10th appearance in an Anderson film.
Fisher Stevens – another frequent collaborator in smaller roles – says the ensemble cast is larger than most other Anderson films and that the case were “bubbled together in a hotel, which was an old monastery.”
It's likely we can expect a bouncy original score by Alexandre Desplat, and eye catching cinematography from Robert Yeoman, Anderson’s two go-to men in cultivating his mise en scène across most films in his career. The Auteur has produced the film alongside Jeremy Dawson and Steven Rales, both of whom worked on The Grand Budapest Hotel.
When does Asteroid City release in Australia?
A release date for the film is still to be announced, however it is believed to be slated for a 2023 release.
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