Over the course of the past quarter-century, Wes Anderson has created quirky, whimsical, and unique films like The Royal Tenenbaums, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and most recently, The French Dispatch. And now the one-of-a-kind filmmaker will make another addition to his list of cinematic experiences with the star-studded and mysterious sci-fi romantic dramedy titled Asteroid City.
The movie, which will see several of Anderson’s most prolific collaborators share the screen with a few massive stars who are working with the idiosyncratic director for the first time, will be here before you know it, and we have all the details. Here is everything we know about Asteroid City, including its release date, cast, trailer, and much, much more.
What Is The Asteroid City Release Date?
The summer blockbuster season is a busy one in 2023, with massive action movies like Fast X and adventurous journeys like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny coming to the big screen. Between those massive franchises, audiences will get to see Asteroid City when it is released theatrically on June 23rd, Focus Features has announced.
The Asteroid City Trailer Is Full Of A-List Actors And Whimsical Wes Anderson Tropes
There was a stretch of many months where we didn’t hear or see anything about Wes Anderson’s 11th movie, but that all changed in March 2023, when the debut trailer for Asteroid City was released into the wild. Clocking in at a little more than two minutes, the video offered an extensive look at the film’s A-list cast (more on them in a bit) and more whimsical Wes Anderson tropes than one can count. Check it out below:
On top of that, the Asteroid City trailer, with its symmetrical shots, dry dialogue, and a very pleasing color palette, also introduced prospective audiences to the mysterious story at the center of the upcoming sci-fi comedy that involves a strange desert town, a convention for young stargazers, and a family drama involving Tom Hanks with a killer mustache.
Tom Hanks, Jason Schwartzman And Scarlett Johansson Lead The Asteroid City Cast
Wes Anderson is no stranger to working with massive (and I mean MASSIVE) groups of actors with each of his movies, but Asteroid City may take things to new heights. The cast, which is led by Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson (the first time working with Anderson for each actor), and Jason Schwartzman (a longtime collaborator), is made up of a who’s who of Hollywood talent.
Looking the Asteroid City cast list you will see names like Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Bryan Cranston, Steve Carell, Maya Hawke, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Stephen Park, Hope Davis, Matt Dillon, Jeff Goldblum, and on, and on, and on.
Asteroid City Centers On A Desert Town As It Prepares For A Junior Stargazer Convention And A World-Changing Event
Wes Anderson has made period pieces, he’s constructed character studies of dynamic families, and he’s tackled the meaning of art. With Asteroid City he will try his hand at science fiction, but with his own unique spin, of course. According to the official synopsis from Focus Features, Anderson’s upcoming movie centers on a town in the middle of the desert that is preparing for Junior Stargazer convention that will bring young space cadets from across the country to the idyllic town. But the out-of-towners aren’t the only visitors, as a world-changing event will soon bring some unexpected, and out-of-this-world guests.
Asteroid City Is The Sixth Wes Anderson Movie To Be Scored By Alexandre Desplat
French composer Alexandre Desplat has worked with Wes Anderson on every one of the director’s movies since the 2009 release of the stop-motion wonder that was The Fantastic Mr. Fox and even won an Oscar for the score he wrote for The Grand Budapest Hotel. Well, Desplat and Anderson have worked together once again, as the composer wrote the score for Asteroid City. In November 2021, Film Music Reporter announced that Desplat was to team up with Anderson again on the mysterious feature film, though no other details were provided at the time. This was later confirmed with the March 2023 release of the movie’s poster, which listed Desplat, who also won an Oscar for his work on The Shape of Water, as the composer.
And though Desplat and Anderson still have a lot of ground to cover to catch up with the iconic pairing of Steven Spielberg and John Williams, six collaborations in under a decade-and-a-half is quite a feat.
Bryan Cranston Compared The Asteroid City Shoot To An ‘Actor Dream Camp’
Working on a Wes Anderson movie sounds like it’s a daunting yet fulfilling experience, especially when you get to share scenes with the likes of Tom Hanks, Edward Norton, Jeffrey Wright, and Scarlett Johansson, and that’s pretty much what Bryan Cranston had to say about the project. When speaking with Collider in 2022, the Golden Globe winner compared the Asteroid City shoot to an “actor dream camp,” explaining:
When you work for an auteur like that, it is a big trust exercise. We did this movie coming up, Asteroid City, in Spain, and it wasn't easy work. Working for Wes is not easy. It's very detailed and very specific and so you really have to really concentrate hard. What offsets that is the congeniality and the togetherness of the experience. We're all at this five-star hotel in Spain and every single night is a banquet. Every single night you are exchanging thoughts and laughter and someone brings a guitar, and you're singing, and you're talking. It's just so familial. It's like fulfilling an actor dream camp. It was a really, really great experience albeit, again, the work was very specific and very difficult.
Despite the difficulties and high standards of a Wes Anderson production, the Breaking Bad star made it sound as if it was an incredible experience that he won’t soon forget. Also, the thought of playing guitar in a hotel lobby with some of the most interesting actors on the planet doesn’t sound too bad either.
Expect to hear more about both of Wes Anderson’s upcoming projects in the weeks and months to come. But in the meantime, check out CinemaBlend’s 2023 movie schedule for an up-to-date guide of all the big theatrical and streaming releases.
