An even more than usually stacked ensemble cast are on show in the first footage from Wes Anderson’s new comedy, The Phoenician Scheme.
The film, billed as an espionage thriller, is Anderson’s 13th as director, and the latest in a series he’s co-written with Roman Coppola, including The Darjeeling Limited, Moonrise Kingdom, The French Dispatch and Isle of Dogs.
Benicio del Toro stars as a derring-do millionaire called Zsa-zsa Korda, who has survived six plane crashes and fathered nine sons and one daughter, a nun called Liesel played by Mia Threapleton.
They embark on a quest with tutor Bjorn Lund (Michael Cera) to secure the future of his business ventures, encountering characters such as Uncle Nubar (a generously hairy Benedict Cumberbatch), Excaliber (Rupert Friend) and Richard Ayoade’s freedom fighter.
Other cast members include regular Anderson rep members such as Mathieu Amalric, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston and Jeffrey Wright.
The film is released in late May; many anticipate it may premiere at the Cannes film festival earlier that month.