The dolled-up sets, eye-catching color palette, quirky looks, distinguishable character designs, and familiar star faces. are par for the course from Wes Anderson. This summer, we’ll be graced with his 11th feature, Asteroid City, bringing back all of his signatures with an added pinch of science fiction.
Focus Features and Universal released the film’s first official trailer and maiden look at the ensemble, including Tom Hanks and Scarlett Johansson. Set for a release this summer, with a Cannes premiere just over the horizon. let’s take a look at what we know about it so far.
What’s Asteroid City About?
Surrounded by sand and rocks under the ever-shining sun, there lies Asteroid City. A town, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, is planning to commemorate Asteroid Day, an event where a meteorite struck the area more than a millennia ago. While General Grif Gibson intends to kick off the town’s festivities, a passerby, Augie Steenbeck, finds himself stranded. A widower, Augie, is heading to meet his father-in-law, who must run to Asteroid City and pick up his grandkids.
Meanwhile, the town makes contact with what seems to be a reference to extraterrestrial activity, sending the entire population into an indefinite quarantine. Set in the 1950s and infused with Anderson’s mix of recreation, romance, and restlessness, Asteroid City is ready to make us space-jump into an eccentric “intergalactic” adventure.
Who Plays Who in Asteroid City?
Most of the characters in Wes Anderson’s desert town are yet to be named. Jason Schwartzman plays Augie, with Tom hanks as his father-in-law in the veteran actor making his Anderson debut. Also joining Hanks in this journey is his wife, Rita Wilson, in an undisclosed role. Scarlett Johansson plays Midhe Campbell, Asteroid City’s beautifully charming resident who shares chemistry with Augie. Maya Hawke plays a school teacher, while the trailer also gives us a glimpse of Steve Carrell donning a mustache. Jake Ryan plays Schwartzman’s son, Woodrow, an essential role in the film.
Anderson has – as always – assembled frequent collaborators again for Asteroid City, which is described as larger than the director’s previous ventures. Adrien Brody, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, and Willem Dafoe star alongside Tony Revolori, who broke through with Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel. Other favorites included in the cast are Jeff Goldblum, Liev Schreiber, Fisher Stevens, Rupert Friend, and Bob Balaban.
Also appearing in the film are Margot Robbie, Matt Dillon, Bryan Cranston, Grace Edwards, Hope Davis, Sophia Lillis, Jarvis Cocker, and Hong Chau. If you closely look at the cast, there is a whole cluster of Oscar nominations and other accolades. The star-studded ensemble is one of Anderson’s largest, and you never know who else we might see in the film.
When Will Asteroid City Release?
Asteroid City will have its Cannes premiere this May, and the theatrical release in the United States will follow on June 16, 2023. Focus Features will oversee its US release in limited theaters before Universal expands it to a wide international release on June 23, 2023.
Wes Anderson’s Minimalist Grandeur
Asteroid City features settings and traits that match many of Anderson’s minimalist-yet-grand compositions. The trailer features the director’s conversational humor, along with themes of dysfunctional relationships; in this case, within a tragedy-hit family. We can’t say what the story entails, but Asteroid City offers a uniqueness through its surreal and probably metaphorical sci-fi elements, which in turn is made more gleeful by Alexandre Desplat’s music.
Behind the creation of Asteroid City are many Anderson reunions, including cinematographer Robert David Yeoman and editor Barney Pilling, as well as Moonrise Kingdom, The Darjeeling Limited, and Isle of Dogs co-writer Roman Coppola. Indian Paintbrush’s Steven Rales and producer/VFX Artist Jeremy Dawson (both co-producers on Asteroid City) have also worked with Anderson on previous projects.
From mentions of aliens to a reference to President’s involvement, the trailer hints at an ever-expanding narrative, with several characters winding up in close proximity as the film progress. Though the release is a while away, the names attached to Asteroid City are enough to keep our eyes glued for updates.
Published: Apr 1, 2023 02:39 am