Everything to Know About Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City

Wes Anderson is trying his hand at science fiction. Well, kind of. Following the success of 2021’s Timothée Chalamet-starring The French Dispatch, Anderson is putting the finishing touches on Asteroid City, billed as a “a poetic meditation on the meaning of life as it tells the story of a fictional American desert town in and around 1955 and its Junior Stargazer convention, which brings together students and parents from across the country for scholarly competition, rest and recreation, comedy, drama, romance and more.”

In addition to directing the film, Anderson also wrote the script, which is based on an original story he and Roman Coppola came up with together (Anderson and Coppola also worked together on 2007’s The Darjeeling Limited, 2012’s Moonrise Kingdom, and 2018’s Isle of Dogs in addition to The French Dispatch).

The film also boasts an impressive cast, including many of Anderson’s regulars (Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton) and a few newcomers (at least to the Anderson universe), including Margot Robbie.

The star-studded first trailer for Asteroid City has dropped, and features a transformed Johansson meeting widower and father Schwartzman in a mysterious desert town.

Here’s everything we know about Anderson’s Asteroid City so far:

Is there an Asteroid City trailer?

The first trailer for Asteroid City dropped on Wednesday, March 29th, and in classic Anderson fashion captures a quirky world. In this case, one that looks like the interior of a 1950s Roswell, New Mexico post card. Light bluegrass music accompanies the pastel-washed clip, which focuses on a widower played by Schartzman and his eccentric children. He meets Johansson, a former movie star, in a small town where the main economy seems to be tourism based around celebrating an asteroid that hit the area 3,000 year prior. When a possible alien encounter happens, its citizens are put under lockdown. Watch the clip below:

Who else is in the Asteroid City cast?

The full cast of Asteroid City includes (so far): Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Hong Chau, Tom Hanks and Margot Robbie make up the main cast. Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Ed Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Stephen Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Jason Schwartzman, Willem Dafoe, Tony Revolori, Jake Ryan, Grace Edwards, Aristou Meehan, Sophia Lillis, Ethan Lee, Jeff Goldblum and Rita Wilson are also in the film.

Does Asteroid City have a release date?

Asteroid City will be released in theaters on June 16, 2023.

What else is Wes Anderson working on?

In addition to Asteroid City, Anderson is also working on The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar for Netflix, a Roald Dahl adaptation starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, and Richard Ayoade.