Wes Anderson’s Next Film ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ Gets May Release Date, Focus Features to Distribute – Variety
By
Brent Lang
Executive Editor
Focus Features is getting back in the Wes Anderson game.
The indie studio has landed the worldwide distribution rights to Anderson’s “The Phoenician Scheme,” the story of a family business that features an all-star cast. Focus is no stranger to Anderson’s meticulously crafted, dollhouse worlds, having released “Asteroid City” and “Moonrise Kingdom.” The former earned an impressive (for an arthouse film) $53.8 million at the box office, while the latter grossed $68.3 million and was nominated for an Oscar for its screenplay.
In addition to directing “The Phoenician Scheme,” Anderson penned the script with the story co-written by Roman Coppola. Focus will distribute the film domestically. “The Phoenician Scheme” will open in limited release on May 30, 2025 and expand wide on June 6. Universal Pictures, Focus’s parent studio, is handling international distribution.
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Benicio del Toro stars in the film as Zsa-zsa Korda, one of the richest men in Europe while Mia Threapleton plays his daughter and Michael Cera portrays her tutor. The cast of heavyweights also includes Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Riz Ahmed, Mathieu Amalric, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Richard Ayoade, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis, and Benedict Cumberbatch.
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Last year, Anderson won the Oscar for best live action short film for “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.” His other credits include such classics as “Rushmore,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “The Royal Tenenbaums.”
“The Phoenician Scheme” was produced by Anderson for his American Empirical Pictures banner alongside longtime collaborators Steven Rales of Indian Paintbrush, Jeremy Dawson and John Peet. The movie was filmed in Germany in association with Studio Babelsberg.
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