Wes Anderson’s next feature has set a release date and an illustrious star cast. The acclaimed filmmaker is well known for his eye-pleasing aesthetics, some colorful characters, and gripping plots. His fans are always eager to see more of his work, be it a short like The Wonderful Life of Henry Sugar or animated and live-action feature films. Anderson’s new film is titled The Phoenician Scheme which he directs and co-wrote with frequent collaborator Roman Coppola.

Focus Features has landed the worldwide distribution rights to the movie and has set the release date for May, later this year. The deal marks the third major collaboration between Focus, Anderson, and Indian Paintbrush, who also partnered on Anderson’s most recent feature, Asteroid City.

What Do We Know About ‘The Phoenician Scheme’?

While the plot details are kept tightly under wraps, the feature is described as a “story of a family and a family business.” The movie was filmed in Germany, ensuring the picturesque scenery of the upcoming film. Fans can rest assured like his previous works, the feature will cover themes like grief, loss of innocence, dysfunctional families, sibling rivalry and unlikely friendships among other things. The movie has a stellar star cast including Puerto Rican-Spanish actor Benicio del Toro as one of the richest men in Europe Zsa-zsa Korda, Mia Threapleton as Zsa-zsa’s daughter/a nun, Sister Liesl, Michael Cera as their tutor Bjorn Lund.

Also starring in the film are Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Riz Ahmed, Mathieu Amalric, Jeffrey Wright, and Scarlett Johansson. Further rounding off the cast are Richard Ayoade, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis, and Benedict Cumberbatch. The film is produced by Anderson under his American Empirical Pictures banner alongside longtime collaborators Steven Rales of Indian Paintbrush, Jeremy Dawson, and John Peet.

Anderson’s last full-length feature was the science fiction comedy-drama Asteroid City. The film garnered much praise for its visuals and story. The movie premiered at Cannes and went on to become a commercial success, grossing $54 million worldwide on a $25 million budget. The movie has a 76 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating. The ensemble cast also included Jason Schwartzman, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Jeff Goldblum, and more, along with his aforementioned frequent collaborators. Given Anderson’s storytelling prowess and compelling performers in the cast, The Phoenician Scheme is one to watch out for.

The Phoenician Scheme will open with a limited release on May 30, and will expand wide on June 6.

via Collider