‘Asteroid City’: Wes Anderson’s New Film Gets An Official Synopsis As Bill Murray Seems To Be No Longer Involved

Back in the late-‘90s, based on the release of “Bottle Rocket” and “Rushmore,” no one was thinking Wes Anderson films would turn into big event releases. However, more than 20 years later, the film industry absolutely loves the filmmaker’s work, as he is always in the awards conversation and his casting is second-to-none. And you better believe his next film, “Asteroid City,” will arrive with just as much pomp and circumstance as most blockbusters. 

Even though we don’t have a release date yet for “Asteroid City,” Wes Anderson’s star-studded film is starting to become a bit less mysterious as we have a basic plot synopsis and a distributor. 

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2022

Here’s the film’s very Wes Anderson-y synopsis:

ASTEROID CITY is a poetic meditation on the meaning of life. It tells the story of a fictional American desert town circa 1955 and its Junior Stargazer convention, which brings together students and parents from across the country for scholarly competition, rest/recreation, comedy, drama, romance, and more.

“Asteroid City” is also the first time in a decade that Anderson is teaming up with Focus Features to release a film. The last time the studio worked with the filmmaker is 2012’s “Moonlight Kingdom.” Since then, Anderson has worked with Fox Searchlight/Searchlight Pictures to release his features. 

Peter Kujawski, Chairman of Focus Features, said, “We are beyond thrilled to be the global home for ‘Asteroid City,’ bringing Focus back in business with Wes and his producing partners. Wes is a generational talent whose films delight audiences around the world; and we’re sure that the combination of his incredibly emotional story and vision combined with the insanely talented group of actors he has assembled, will mean that ‘Asteroid City’ will be no different.”

READ MORE: Bill Murray Takes Ownership Of ‘Being Mortal’ Shutdown & Allegations: Admits He Did Something He “Thought Was Funny & Wasn’t Take That Way”

The cast for “Asteroid City” is one of the most stacked we’ve seen in a recent film, even one by Wes Anderson’s typical standards. The cast includes Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Ed Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Stephen Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie, Tony Revolori, Jake Ryan, Grace Edwards, Aristou Meehan, Sophia Lillis, Ethan Lee, Jeff Goldblum, and Rita Wilson. Not even Marvel Studios is able to put a cast like that together right now.

One interesting note is the exclusion of Bill Murray in the official announcement. Murray is a longtime collaborator of Anderson and was already reportedly one of the cast members of “Asteroid City.” It’s unclear if there is a reason he’s not named in the cast or maybe if the report of his inclusion was premature. 

A release date for “Asteroid City” has yet to be announced, but Anderson is already deep into post-production. Perhaps, we could see a late-2022 release? Or maybe, he’ll hold off until spring and maybe wait for a Cannes debut? Regardless, as with all Anderson films, this is one that everybody will be keeping a close eye on.