The cast list for Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel just keeps getting … well, grander. /Film confirms that Anderson has cast Saoirse Ronan, the young star of Hanna and Atonement, as the star of his latest ensemble work.
Although there’s no indication yet about who Ronan will play, she joins a remarkable ensemble, including Ralph Fiennes, Jude Law, Angela Lansbury and Bill Murray. She’s also definitely in a starring role, not a cameo.
Ronan has quite a list of films lined up, including a starring role in Mary Queen of Scots. Working with a director of Anderson’s caliber can only advance her career.
The cast for Anderson’s latest effort has been in flux, with the greatest disappointment – for me at least – coming when Johnny Depp’s name was dropped from the cast list. A lot of the casting news have been mostly concerning cameos from big name stars, so it’s nice to hear that Anderson has actually started casting his lead characters.
We also recently got a bit more information about the plot of The Grand Budapest Hotel. Anderson has compared the film to the old ‘Hollywood Europe’ of the 1930s:
Yes, like ‘To Be or Not to Be,’ the [Ernst] Lubitsch with Carole Lombard, that Europe which is not made in Europe at all. Or ‘Shop Around the Corner.’ Or did you ever see ‘Love Me Tonight,’ the one Rouben Mamoulian made with Maurice Chevalier? I’m not a big musical fan, but it’s a wonderful one. So I think we’ve got a little bit of that feel, that Europe on the Hollywood back lot, even though we’re actually going to Europe to do it. It’s got some of that kind of thing in it. The Lubitsch ones are always good to aim for.
Honestly, I’m willing to watch just about anything that Wes Anderson makes, but this one sounds particularly fun. It’ll be a blast to see what kind of quirk he comes up with next.
