Wes Anderson's 1950s-Set New Film 'Asteroid City' Will Bring Its Symmetry to Cinemas in 2023
Featuring just about every actor Anderson has ever worked with before, the film follows a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention in a fictional American desert town.
Symmetry, pastel hues and an astonishing cast: they're all now part of your 2023 plans. Two years after The French Dispatch hit cinemas, Wes Anderson is returning to the big screen with Asteroid City, his 11th feature. Even better: it's now officially on the release slate for the year, featuring a Moonrise Kingdom-esque setup and just about every well-known actor that the filmmaker has ever worked with before (and then some).
First, mark midyear in your diary. Asteroid City just locked in a US release date of June 16, 2023, and hopefully it'll reach cinemas Down Under not too long afterwards. That timing makes it an obvious choice to play at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, where The French Dispatch and Moonrise Kingdom also premiered, and then possibly hit the Sydney Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival and New Zealand International Film Festival in this part of the world.
Next, the premise. Those Moonrise Kingdom vibes spring from Asteroid City's plot, with the film following a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention in the titular — and fictional — American desert town. Students and their parents descend on the contest from around the country, all in the name of scholarly competition; however, then world-changing events shake things up.
Anderson penned the script alongside his frequent writing partner Roman Coppola, who also co-wrote Moonrise Kingdom and The Darjeeling Limited, and has a story credit on Isle of Dogs and The French Dispatch.
Helping bring the story to life on-screen is everyone from Jason Schwartzman (I Love That for You), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Jeffrey Wright (The Batman), Tilda Swinton (Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio) and Ed Norton (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery) to Adrien Brody (See How They Run), Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan), Willem Dafoe (The Northman), Tony Revolori (Servant), Stephen Park (Warrior) and Bryan Cranston (Better Call Saul) — and, of course, Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic World Dominion) — all of whom are Anderson regulars.
They'll be joined by Tom Hanks (Elvis), Margot Robbie (Amsterdam), Steve Carell (The Patient), Matt Dillon (Proxima), Hong Chau (The Menu), Hope Davis (Succession), Rupert Friend (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Maya Hawke (Stranger Things), Jake Ryan (Uncut Gems), Grace Edwards (Call Jane), Aristou Meehan (The Contractor), Sophia Lillis (IT: Chapter Two), Ethan Lee (Mr Robinson) and Rita Wilson (Kimi). We told you that the cast list was hefty.
It's too early yet for a glimpse at Asteroid City, but you can check out the trailer for Moonrise Kingdom below in the interim:
Asteroid City will release in the US on June 16, 2023, with exact dates Down Under yet to be confirmed — we'll update you when the local release date is locked in.
Top image: Moonrise Kingdom.
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