Ready for another trip into the whimsical, yet emotionally nuanced world of Wes Anderson? The auteur has kept unusually busy over the last few years, releasing “The French Dispatch” in 2021 after delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, “Asteroid City” in 2023, “The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar and Three More” in 2024, and now “The Phoenician Scheme” in 2025. His latest ensemble adventure is set in the world of 1940s espionage and stars returning Anderson players Benicio del Toro, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Rupert Friend, Benedict Cumberbatch, Bill Murray, and Willem Dafoe, as well as newcomers to his troupe Michael Cera, Mia Threapleton, and Riz Ahmed. Watch the trailer below.
Shot at Babelsburg Studios in Germany where Anderson produced “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Isle of Dogs,” “The Phoenician Scheme” sees del Toro as Zsa-zsa Korda, one of the richest men in Europe and father to Threaplton’s character, Sister Liesl. Cera will portray her tutor, Bjorn Lund, with all three being wrapped up in a globe-trotting conflict involving the family business.
Speaking with French publication Le Monde in 2023 as he was planning the project, Anderson said of the film, “My next feature film will be linear, with Benicio Del Toro in every shot. I can’t tell you much more than that except that it will be about espionage, a father-daughter relationship, and, let’s say, with a rather dark tone.”
Anderson wrote the screenplay himself, but conceived the story for “The Phoenician Scheme” with frequent collaborator Roman Coppola, who’s credited on the screenplay of “The Darjeeling Limited” and also contributed to “Isle of Dogs,” “The French Dispatch,” and “Asteroid City.” The last script he fully co-wrote with Anderson was 2012’s “Moonrise Kingdom,” which was nominated for Best Original Screenplay. However, not joining Anderson for the first time in the writer/director’s career is his loyal cinematographer Robert Yeoman. Instead, “The Phoenician Scheme” was shot by French DP Bruno Delbonnel, whose credits include the recent Apple TV+ limited series from Alfonso Cuarón, “Disclaimer,” as well as “Across the Universe,” “Inside Llewyn Davis,” and “Darkest Hour.” Alexandre Desplat, who scored 6 of Anderson’s films, was also part of the team.
“The Phoenician Scheme” is expected to be announced as part of the 2025 Cannes lineup on April 10, with Anderson having previously premiered three of his features there in the past (“Moonrise Kingdom,” “The French Dispatch,” and “Asteroid City”). Focus Features is set to distribute the film in the U.S., while the studio’s parent company, Universal Pictures, will handle the international release.
“The Phoenician Scheme” will receive a limited release on May 30, followed by a nationwide rollout on June 6 from Focus Features.
