Wes Anderson's next movie has a distributor, release date

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Wes Anderson's "The Phoenician Scheme" lands distributor and release date

By Chris Morgan | Last updated Feb 11, 2025 12:58 PM ET

Throw on your pastel suit and take some perfectly-symmetrical photos of ornate buildings, because Wes Anderson's new film has a home. Anderson, a director with distinct style that inspires adoration from many and dismissal from others, had already finished shooting his follow-up to "Asteroid City" in Germany, but the film now has a distributor and a release date as well.

Titled "The Phoenician Scheme," the film's rights have been picked up by Focus Features, a company that has previously released Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom" and "Asteroid City." A limited release has been scheduled for May 30, with the wide release date set for a week later on June 6. That makes "The Phoenician Scheme" a bit of counterprogramming during the height of the summer blockbuster season.

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As per usual, "The Phoenician Scheme" will feature many of Anderson's previous collaborators, including a few he picked up with his series of Netflix shorts based upon the works of Roald Dahl, such as Benedict Cumberbatch. The movie stars Benicio del Toro as one of the world's richest man, but also works a new face into the Anderson universe in Michael Cera.

While the Anderson devotees surely have May 30 (or June 6) circled already, it will be interesting to see how much commercial success "The Phoenician Scheme" manages, and also if the Academy Awards have any affinity for the film. Among his feature-length movies, only Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel" has really grabbed attention for Oscar voters, earning nine nominations and four down-the-ballot wins.

Be on the lookout for a trailer for "The Phoenician Scheme." We certainly will be.

(h/t The Hollywood Reporter)

Chris Morgan

Chris Morgan is a Detroit-based culture writer who has somehow managed to justify getting his BA in Film Studies. He has written about sports and entertainment across various internet platforms for years and is also the author of three books about '90s television.

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