Deja vu. We had the same reaction to the trailers for The French Dispatch and Asteroid City: Like those thousands of A.I.-generated YouTube trailers, the best thing about this next trailer is how long you watch it before you say aloud, “This looks like someone is trying to make a Wes Anderson movie.” Then the card flashes: it is a Wes Anderson movie. No doubt the movies of writer-director Wes Anderson are an acquired taste. Fortunately he exhibits some variety, as we’ve explored before here at borg. Whether it’s Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs, The French Dispatch, or Asteroid City, at least one of these films will likely appeal to you. For his next big screen venture, Anderson is delivering what looks similar to his puzzling movie The French Dispatch. Even as we watch it, will we know what The Phoenician Scheme is all about?
The cast is as big as you’d expect, with familiar Anderson faces Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Benedict Cumberbatch, Bryan Cranston, Rupert Friend, Benicio Del Toro, Jeffrey Wright, Willem Dafoe, and Hope Davis, with newcomers to Wes’s world Riz Ahmed, Richard Ayoade, and Mia Threapleton. Anderson has replaced Woody Allen as the director to flock to for actors’ resumes. Fans of Anderson movies will be happy to hear the music is again by Alexandre Desplat.
Check out this trailer for the expectedly unusual, instantly recognizable trailer filled with Anderson’s trademark framed cinematography, unsettling color hues, and fourth-wall breaking stares from his cast: :
You have hardly any wait for this one. The Phoenician Scheme arrives in theaters May 30, 2025.
C.J. Bunce / Editor / borg
