"The Phoenician Scheme" Trailer: Benicio del Toro and Mia Threapleton Star in Wes Anderson’s New Star-Studded Quirky Comedy About Legacy, Empire, and the Quest for a Desert Utopia
Anderson’s latest comedy sees del Toro’s wealthy aviation mogul trying to convince his nun daughter (Threapleton) to take over his empire in a dangerous desert land.
Filmmaker Wes Anderson returns this year with his 13th feature film, and his third film in three years. Which seems to mean he has hit a certain constant flow and rhythm, continuing to deliver his signature blend of quirky deadpan comedy, picture-box storytelling, meticulous camera-pan visuals, and a stellar ensemble cast of big-name actors.
Dare we say, The Phoenician Scheme might just be Wes Anderson’s most Wes Anderson film yet. That is, if you love his particular brand of eccentric stories with equally offbeat settings and characters so whimsical they might as well have stepped out of an old-fashioned Christmas card or an antique postcard or a dreamlike diorama. Expect quirky dialogue, stunning symmetry, and a world that feels as if it could only exist within the confines of Anderson's unique vision.
Oscar-winner Benicio del Toro stars as Zsa-zsa Korda, one of the richest men in Europe, in a fictional world that only Wes Anderson can create – a world that feels timeless, yet stuck in a vintage past that never quite existed.
With the zeal of a Howard Hughes type, Zsa-zsa Korda’s deep passion for aviation has gotten him in trouble yet again. After surviving his latest plane crash, cheating death once more, Korda finds himself contemplating his legacy and deciding which of his ten children will inherit his vast estate.
He chooses Liesl, his only daughter and eldest child. She will take up the Korda empire, if and when he dies. The only problem? Liesl is Sister Liesl, a nun who has already given up everything she has to live a life of devotion. Now, Korda must navigate the absurdity of this situation as he tries to convince her to step away from her vows and take on a life she never wanted.
With his own looming mortality on his mind, Korda requests Liesl to accompany him on his final conquest to build his own personal oasis in the fictional foreign country of Phoenicia. It will be his greatest achievement—a modern utopia in the Eastern desert. The problem? The construction is taking place in one of the most hostile places in the world, where a local militia does not take too kindly to big-money Westerners coming in and taking up their land. It’s a disaster waiting to happen, but for Wes Anderson, it's the stuff of comedy gold.
Playing Liesl, Benicio del Toro’s nun daughter, is rising English actress Mia Threapleton, who recently starred in the Apple series The Buccaneers and the Netflix movie Scoop with Gillian Anderson. Threapleton is also known as the daughter of Oscar-winner Kate Winslet.
Joining Del Toro and Threapleton in the cast is a who’s who, including some frequent Wes Anderson players: Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hanks, Mathieu Amalric, Michael Cera, Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, Riz Ahmed, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis, with Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg, among others.
The Phoenician Scheme is written and directed by Anderson from a story he co-wrote with frequent writing and producing collaborator Roman Coppola (The Darjeeling Limited, Moonrise Kingdom, The French Dispatch).
Working behind the camera is acclaimed French cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel (Inside Llewyn Davis, Amélie), who previously worked with Anderson on his 2016 Christmas-themed comedy short film/H&M commercial, Come Together: A Fashion Picture in Motion (watch it below).
Delbonnel also appeared in Anderson’s The French Dispatch in quick cameo in a photo image of French revolutionary François-Marie Charvet.
The Phoenician Scheme is slated to open next month, in theaters May 30th. Watch the trailer, above, for a sneak peek into the quirky world that only Wes Anderson could create.
