Wes Anderson is back, and he’s bringing many of his favorite actors with him. The trailer for Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme follows a father and daughter who set off on a whirlwind adventure together.
Benicio Del Toro plays businessman Zsa-zsa Korda, one of the wealthiest men in Europe, while Mia Therepleton plays his daughter, Sister Liesel. The film also features plenty of returning Anderson players like Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Richard Ayoade, Mathieu Amalric, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis, and Benedict Cumberbatch.
While the film’s trailer features many of Anderson’s signature directorial touches (heavily composed frames that are often symmetrical, deadpan dialogue, a wry sense of humor), the trailer doesn’t offer a ton of detail on what the movie is actually about past its focus on a father and daughter who set off together on some sort of adventure.
That obfuscation of plot details might be at least partially intentional, as most people know what they’re getting from an Anderson movie at this point. His most recent projects were 2023’s Asteroid City and a series of short films he made for Netflix which adapted stories written by Roald Dahl.
Although Anderson’s work is often beloved by both his fans and critics, he has never been able to break through at the Oscars in a steady way. The Phoenician Scheme will be another opportunity for prognosticators to wonder whether this Anderson film might be the one that finally breaks through. Whether it does or not, though, it’s sure to ave a reliable audience among Anderson devotees.
The Phoenician Scheme will release in limited theaters in May 30 before going wide the following week.
