It came as a bit of shock earlier this week when news broke that Bill Murray would in fact not be in Wes Anderson‘s latest outing, “Asteroid City.” After all, Murray first announced the movie’s title in October 2021 at the BFI London Film Festival. The actor is also a mainstay in Anderson’s ensembles, appearing in nine of the director’s films over the years.
Now there’s an answer to why Murray isn’t in the new film. Variety reports that Murray contracted COVID-19 shortly before “Asteroid City” began its shoot last September and forced Anderson to recast the part. Murray didn’t shoot any scenes before he left the project, and Anderson subsequently replaced him with Steve Carrell. So, while it’s unfortunate that Murray won’t be in the upcoming film, there’s a legitimate reason why he isn’t in it.
Thankfully, Murray’s absence from “Asteroid City” isn’t due to a similar situation to the one involving him on the set of Aziz Ansari’s upcoming film “Being Mortal.” Back in April, production halted on the film due to a complaint of inappropriate behavior against the actor. Murray has downplayed the incident, stating to CNBC that he “had a difference of opinion with a woman I’m working with.” What exactly happened during the incident has never been revealed.
“I did something I thought was funny and it wasn’t taken that way,” Murray recently told CNBC. “The movie studio wanted to do the right thing, so they wanted to check it all out and investigate it and so they stopped the production.” The woman’s identity in the incident has also not been revealed, but Murray insists that both sides are “trying to make peace with each other.
As for “Asteroid City,” Anderson’s latest takes place in a fictional town in the American Southwest in 1955. Despite its Southwest setting, Anderson shot the film in Spain. Anderson co-writes the film with Roman Coppolla. Here’s the film’s official 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.
And like last year’s “The French Dispatch” and so many other Wes Anderson films before it, “Asteroid City” boasts an enormous ensemble cast, including Carrell, Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, and Margot Robbie. Anderson mainstays Jason Schwartzman, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Ed Norton, and Adrian Brody are also on board.
So, while Murray won’t be part of “Asteroid City,” be happy that the septuagenarian actor is healthy and still working. And rest assured, Wes Anderon fans: Bill Murray isn’t in the director’s next film, but he’ll doubtless be in whatever Anderson makes after Netflix’s “The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar.” No word yet when “Asteroid City” hits theaters, but Focus Features handles its domestic release.