Reports that Wes Anderson was aiming for a scaled-back cast for espionage thriller The Phoenician Scheme may well have been off the mark.
When reports first surfaced that Wes Anderson’s next film would be an espionage thriller, minds were left agog pondering what he was actually up to. After all, Anderson used the iconography of 1950s sci-fi films to unveil something far more intricate with 2023’s Asteroid City, so who knows what Anderson’s good old spy movie could secretly be a Trojan horse for?
One early report we did hear suggested that for this film, Wes Anderson would be scaling back his cast and not working in the same ensemble-driven way that he so often does. That report now looks like it could have been wide of the mark (or perhaps things simply evolved) as the full cast list for the film has now been released and well, it’s typical of an Anderson project.
The Phoenician Scheme will feature Benicio del Toro and Mia Threapleton as ‘a father and daughter whose family business leads them into a dark espionage tale.’
Previously confirmed names for the film include Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed and Bill Murray.
There are more names too. Previous Anderson collaborators will be on hand in the form of Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Willem Dafoe, Rupert Friend, Bryan Cranston, and Benedict Cumberbatch. So much for that ‘small’ cast.
Charlotte Gainsbourg is also in the project too. Other Anderson debutantes include Imke Büchel, Imad Mardnli, Jaime Ferkic, Antonia Desplat, Tonio Arango, Aysha Samuel, and Sabine Hollweck.
Anderson reportedly completed the script last year before the writer’s strike began, having co-written the screenplay with Roman Coppola, his occasional writing partner. Filming on the project is said to have been completed so now we just have to sit back and wait. When we hear more on this one, we’ll let you know. Don’t be surprised to see the movie pop up at festivals towards the end of the year.
