Wes Anderson's Next Movie Adds Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, Hope Davis, And Liev Schreiber
At this point, you might think that every person in Hollywood has been cast in Wes Anderson's new movie. It's like he's on a quest to nip this Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon business in the bud. In the future, we'll all just be playing Two Degrees of Wes Anderson because any living actor you can think of will only be a couple of layers removed, at most, from an Anderson film.
Every week or two, it feels like we get a new piece of casting news regarding his latest, and this week is no different. You can now add Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, Hope Davis, and Liev Schreiber to the list of big names that will be appearing in the credits of Anderson's next movie.
The French Dispatch isn't even out yet, but Anderson continues to line up talent for his next project. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cranston, Wright, Davis, and Schrieber have all joined the cast, and the film "is expected to wrap shooting in late September, just in time for the opening of his latest movie, The French Dispatch, in October."
It wasn't that big of a surprise when we heard that Tilda Swinton and Bill Murray were on board for Anderson's as-yet-untitled film, which is set in Spain but is otherwise shrouded in secrecy as far as plot details go. Swinton has appeared in every Anderson film since Moonrise Kingdom, and his collaboration with Murray goes back even further, all the way to 1998 when Murray co-starred in Rushmore with Jason Schwartzman.
Since then, Murray has had a role in every one of Anderson's movies. The only one without his name on it is Anderson's 1996 directorial debut, Bottle Rocket. That puts them at ten movies together and counting. Schwartzman will also be making the trip to Spain with Anderson, as will Adrien Brody, another frequent collaborator.
There are several other A-listers who will be making their live-action Wes Anderson debut in this Spain-set film. Roll call, please ...
Hanks, Robbie, and Johansson, Present and Accounted For
First, there's America's Dad, Tom Hanks. We learned just a few weeks ago that he had signed on for this upcoming eleventh Anderson film. Next, came Margot Robbie, who can currently be seen reprising her role as Harley Quinn in The Suicide Squad. She's not the only actress who is eager to take a break from superhero greenscreens and appear on location and in front of the camera for Anderson.
That's right: Scarlett Johansson is also on board. Like Cranston, she previously did some voice work for Anderson in Isle of Dogs, but this will be her first time saddling up for the live-action Wes Anderson Thespian Rodeo.
One thing is clear: actors love working with Anderson. We'll let you know more details about The Spanish Dispatch (or whatever he winds up calling it) as soon as they coalesce.
In the meantime, The French Dispatch hits theaters on October 22, 2021. You can read our early review of it from the Cannes Film Festival here.