Wes Anderson, pastel prophet of the painstakingly curated, is back with The Phoenician Scheme — his twelfth feature film and, by the looks of the new trailer, possibly his most Wes Anderson-y Wes Anderson movie yet. Yes, we say that every time. But this one really goes there.
The trailer dropped like a perfectly placed lace glove, and it’s got everything: dramatic monologues delivered with deadpan perfection, art deco submarines, nuns with inheritances, and Michael Cera with a mustache. Buckle up. Here’s everything that made us gasp, giggle, or immediately Google “where was this filmed (Germany, obviously).”
The Plot(?)
As with many of Anderson’s recent offerings, the plot seems less like a straight line and more like a crossword puzzle in cursive. Here’s what we think we know: Benicio del Toro (yep, back from French Dispatch) stars as Zsa-zsa Korda, a reclusive mogul of aviation and armaments who may or may not have been in six plane crashes. (Survived them all — legend.)
He’s also got ten children, but only one — a nun named Sister Liesl (played by Mia Threapleton, daughter of Kate Winslet, now an Andersonian by blood) — is chosen to inherit his empire. The empire, by the way, is named the “Korda Land and Sea Phoenician Infrastructure Scheme.” Catchy!
A voiceover in the trailer tells us, “Today, tonight, and tomorrow, we’ll rendezvous with every titan and pretend we agree what we already agree, but, in fact, we don’t, we can’t.” Sure. Absolutely. No notes.
Benicio del Toro Is (Almost) In Every Shot
Anderson once told Le Monde that he planned for del Toro to be in every single frame of this film. Did that happen? No. But does he dominate the trailer like a melancholy peacock in a three-piece suit? Very much yes. He’s gruff, weary, and surrounded by tiny, beautiful set pieces that scream “precision,” even when he’s screaming something else entirely.
New Kids on the Twee Block
Anderson loves a newcomer — and this time, he’s welcomed a few faces we never expected to see framed within mustard-yellow curtains.
- Michael Cera plays Bjorn Lund, a slightly haunted tutor with a mustache that whispers secrets. He fits disturbingly well in the Andersonverse. Like, how is this only happening now?
- Riz Ahmed appears as Prince Farouk, sporting a cape and intensity. Do we know his character’s motives? No. Do we want a spinoff miniseries already? Yes.
The Royal Anderson Players Return
It wouldn’t be a Wes Anderson film without his usual suspects, and The Phoenician Scheme delivers the goods:
- Tom Hanks as a bespectacled executive or philosopher (possibly both),
- Scarlett Johansson, who is so far down the billing you might miss her, which tells you how stacked this cast really is,
- Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, Richard Ayoade, Mathieu Amalric, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis, and Benedict Cumberbatch as “Uncle Nubar,” which… of course.
Anderson’s First Post-Asteroid City Flick
Let’s not forget: Asteroid City was one of the most acclaimed films of 2023, with critics (including Vulture’s own Bilge Ebiri) calling it “marvelous.” So how does Anderson follow up a film where alien contact was somehow the most grounded part? Apparently, with a tangled father-daughter inheritance drama wrapped inside an espionage thriller served on a doily.
This one looks more mannered. More analog. Possibly even more twee. And yet, also more violent? The trailer has explosions, chase scenes, a surprisingly high body count for a film with this much embroidery.
The Vibe? Wes Anderson at His Wes-iest
The color palette is icy blue, mustard, and sunburned coral. The sets look like you could fold them up and put them in your luggage. Every character speaks like they’re reading from a lost Salinger short story. The camera tracks, pans, and dollies like it’s getting paid by the symmetrical line.
And yes, composer Alexandre Desplat is back with a score that makes you feel like you’re drifting through a museum that might suddenly break into interpretive dance.
When Can You See It?
The Phoenician Scheme lands in theaters on May 30 — just after Memorial Day weekend and a full month before Jurassic World: Rebirth stomps in. If you’re a real one, you’ll see ScarJo here, in a habit and a vintage hat, long before she’s running from CGI dinosaurs.
Final Thought: Is This a Scheme You Want In On?
Absolutely. There’s a nun with an inheritance, a mogul who might be losing his grip, Michael Cera with a mystery, and more Anderson alums than an awards show seating chart. Whether you’re a die-hard fan of Rushmore or just here for the fit checks, The Phoenician Scheme looks like another gem in Wes’s treasure box of beautiful oddities.
And if you’re wondering whether it all means something? Don’t worry. It probably doesn’t — and that’s kind of the point.
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