Take a behind-the-scenes peek at Wes Anderson’s star-studded new film

Wes Anderson’s tenth film The French Dispatch is coming to cinemas this July. Can’t wait that long? The New Yorker has unveiled a series of visually arresting behind-the-scenes photographs. 

It’s no accident the New Yorker got the scoop, as the film is loosely based on the iconic magazine. The titular French Dispatch is a supplement of the Evening Sun, a fictional newspaper distributed out of Liberty, Kansas. This explains the film’s full, ultra-Anderson title: The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun.

It’s set somewhere in France at an unspecified moment in the 20th century. Wardrobe and set design indicate it’s post-war but pre-1970s. Anderson, who grew up in Texas, is a noted New Yorker obsessive.

Anderson likes working with ensemble casts, and this project is no different. Old pals such as Owen Wilson, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe and Adrien Brody all feature.

Saoirse Ronan makes her second appearance in an Anderson flick, following her breakout role in The Grand Budapest Hotel. Ronan’s even brought along her regular co-star and Leo 2.0 Timothée Chalamet. The star-studded lineup just keeps going – Benicio del Toro, Elisabeth Moss, Christoph Waltz, Jeffrey Wright and Léa Seydoux are among the other big names to make an appearance.

It’s Anderson’s first film since 2018’s stop animation comedy Isle of Dogs. That film – which had the likes of Bryan Cranston, Greta Gerwig and Edward Norton voicing a bunch of stray canines – was nominated for best animated feature at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes.

Anderson is yet to win an Oscar despite seven total nominations. 2014’s The Grand Budapest Hotel won the Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

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