Wes Anderson has delighted the Cannes Film Festival once more with his latest directorial effort “The Phoenician Scheme,” which played in competition two years after “Asteroid City” did the same at the 2023 festival. “The Phoenician Scheme” earned Anderson and his sprawling cast a 6.5-minute standing ovation.
Anderson’s leading lady Mia Threapleton — who has acting in her blood thanks to mother Kate Winslet — was overcome with emotion as the applause raged on, smiling as tears poured down her face. Flanked by stars Michael Cera and Benicio del Toro, Anderson kept his comments brief, saying: “I can think of about 12 words to say that stand for everything in this movie: Richard Ayoade, Riz, Alexandre, Michael, Mia, Jeffrey, Rupert, Benedict, God and Benicio del Toro.” (By God, Anderson was referring to Bill Murray, who has a brief appearance as such in the film, while Alexandre was a shoutout to his frequent collaborator, French composer Alexandre Desplat.)
“The Phoenician Scheme” stars del Toro as business magnate Zsa-zsa Korda, who happens to be one of the richest men in Europe. Threapleton stars as his daughter, a nun named Sister Liesel, with Cera making his long-awaited Wes Anderson movie debut as her tutor Bjorn Lund. The film also features Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, Riz Ahmed, Scarlett Johansson, Richard Ayoade, Mathieu Amalric, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis and Benedict Cumberbatch, all of whom have starred in at least one previous Anderson feature.
In addition to his star-studded cast, a number of celebrities who did not appear in the film were on hand, including Julianne Moore and Ed Norton. After hosting “SNL” on Saturday night, Johansson missed the premiere but will be on the ground on Tuesday to unveil her feature directing debut, “Eleanor the Great.”
Anderson is a favorite of the French given that he has made Paris his adopted home. He is as precise with his on-the-ground logistics in Cannes as he is as a filmmaker, mandating that the film’s team all lodge together outside the city of Eze, about an hour away from the festival.
“Wes loves to curate the experience, which we all benefit from. So he we stayed at a gorgeous hotel that is like a whole sanctuary,” Johansson told Variety in a 2023 interview. “And then we would have this big dinner, with the experience being carefully created by a creative mastermind. That is all Wes. Now, I’m so spoiled and don’t ever want to stay anywhere in the city limits.”
For tonight’s premiere, Anderson and the cast ditched the black sedans used by most stars and arrived to the Palais on a chartered bus. Murray was seated in the first row of the bus and was first to disembark, while Threapleton gathered up her emerald-colored gown and followed behind.
Anderson is no stranger to Cannes. In addition to “Asteroid City” competing for the Palme d’Or at the 2023 festival, Anderson also opened the 2012 festival with the world premiere of “Moonrise Kingdom.” That film went on to earn the director an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay. His 2021 effort “The French Dispatch” was also a Cannes premiere. “The Phoenician Scheme” marks Anderson’s fourth Cannes competition entry. He’s been a regular at other international film festivals thanks to the Berlin launch of “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and the Venice bow for “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” which won him the Oscar for best live action short film.
The filmmaker produced “The Phoenician Scheme” via American Empirical Pictures, with Jeremy Dawson and John Peet, as well as Steven Rales via Indian Paintbrush. Focus Features is distributing the film after previously teaming up with Anderson on “Asteroid City” and “Moonrise Kingdom.”
“The Phoenician Scheme” will have a limited theatrical release from Focus Features starting May 30. The film will expand wider June 6.
