Wes Anderon’s Next Movie Reunites Him With Two Actors Who Missed His Recent Movies

Summary

• Bill Murray missed Wes Anderson’s 2023 film Asteroid City due to COVID-19 but will star in his next project.
• Anderson’s last film, Asteroid City, pays homage to UFO sightings in the American Southwest.
• Murray will reunite with Michael Cera on Anderson’s upcoming untitled project after appearing in A Very Murray Christmas together.

Wes Anderson is known to have a rotating set of recurring actors in his arsenal for the ensemble casts in his films, and yet one of the filmmaker’s most frequent collaborators sat out of his 2023 movie (but will return in Anderson’s next project next to another familiar face). Anderson began his feature film directorial career with the 1996 crime comedy Bottle Rocket, which thrust him into the spotlight. He went on to become one of the most influential directors of the 21st century, as Anderson has released numerous critically acclaimed movies and received eight Oscar nominations (and one win).

Anderson’s 2023 comedy-drama Asteroid City is his last film, and it served as the director’s homage to reported extraterrestrial and UFO sightings in the American Southwestern desert following the end of World War II. The retro-futuristic movie depicted a play (called Asteroid City) revolving around a Junior Stargazer convention, but the story became quite meta as it continued. The cast of Asteroid City included Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, and many more. However, one of Anderson’s most consistent collaborators wasn’t on the cast list.

Bill Murray Will Star In Wes Anderson’s Next Movie After Missing Asteroid City

Anderson’s Next Film Is Rumored To Be Titled The Phoenician Scheme

Bill Murray has starred in the majority of Wes Anderson’s movies, with only a couple being the exception (including Asteroid City). Before the comedy-drama premiered in June 2023, Murray had appeared in some capacity in every Anderson project since Rushmore in 1998. Anderson’s films that Murray has played a role in are:

• Rushmore (as Herman Blume)
• The Royal Tenenbaums (as Raleigh St. Clair)
• The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (as Steve Zissou)
• The Darjeeling Limited (as The Businessman)
• Fantastic Mr. Fox (as Clive Badger)
• Moonrise Kingdom (as Mr. Bishop)
• The Grand Budapest Hotel (as M. Ivan)
• Isle of Dogs (as Boss)
• The French Dispatch (as Arthur Howitzer Jr.)

However, Murray had an excellent reason for missing out on starring in Asteroid City. According to Syfy, Murray was supposed to appear in the 2023 comedy-drama but got sick with COVID-19 a few days before filming. Steve Carell filled in for Murray, who later arrived at the film set to support the production. Ultimately, Asteroid City performed poorly at the box office and received one of Anderson’s worst Rotten Tomatoes scores. But the good news is that Murray is set to star in Anderson’s upcoming movie, fixing his longstanding partnership with the director that Asteroid City broke.

Wes Anderson’s next movie is currently filming in Berlin.

Wes Anderon’s New Movie Also Reunites Bill Murray & Michael Cera After 9 Years

Murray & Cera Starred In A Very Murray Christmas

Much about Wes Anderson’s next project is unknown, including its story and title (even though its rumored name is The Phoenician Scheme). But a few performers have been confirmed as some of the players in the ensemble cast, including Bill Murray and Michael Cera. The two actors previously worked together on the 2015 Christmas musical comedy film A Very Murray Christmas — Murray starred as himself, while Cera played Jackie the Talent Agent. The confirmed cast of Wes Anderson‘s upcoming movie (and the other films they worked on with the director), including Murray and Cera, is:

Source: Syfy