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EXCLUSIVE: When Wes Anderson is ready to make a movie, talent comes running. I’m told that Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton are all in talks to star in Moon Rise Kingdom, a script that Anderson wrote with Roman Coppola and which Anderson will direct late next spring. Scott Rudin is producing with Anderson. 
Indian Paintbrush, the financier/production company bankrolled by billionaire Steven Rales, is in early conversations to fund the film and come aboard as producer. Rales, who recently installed Rudin’s longtime president Mark Roybal to run the company and step up its output of auteur-driven prestige films, has a strong relationship with Anderson. Rales was involved as a producer in Anderson’s The Fantastic Mr. Fox as well as The Darjeeling Limited. Both films were produced by Rudin.
Moon Rise Kingdom is set in the 60s. Two young adults fall in love and run away. Leaders in their New England town are sticking the idea that they’ve disappeared and go in search of them. Norton will play a scout leader who brings his charges on a search. Willis is in talks to play the town sheriff who’s also looking, and who is having an affair with the missing girl’s mother, the role McDormand is in talks to play. Murray, a regular in Anderson films, will play the girl’s father, who has his own issues.
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Yay, more precious indie quirk masquerading as story. I’m in.
Yay, more snark!
Yet compelling enough to you, Steely Dan, that you were first to reply even in the negative. Anderson’s films are brilliant on many levels, but certainly aren’t for everyone. Try concentrating more on what pleases you and perhaps you won’t sound so small and bitter.
I’m afraid Steely Dan has it right. Anderson exploded onto the scene at the height of the Age of Quirk. He was the right man at the right time.
Now that we’ve witnessed the slow death of quirk, with the hipster aesthetic in its death throes as well, Anderson has gradually become less relevant as a filmmaker. He needs to evolve or he’ll continue the slow march to irrelevance, which I’m afraid he already evidenced with “Darjeeling.”
It’s wonderful when filmmakers can embrace all kinds of different sensibilities and aesthetics to tell their stories (a la the Coen brothers), but with Anderson it’s been all quirk, beautiful quirk, without the story part…
Unfortunately, yes. After Rushmore, it was downhill.
“that’s just one man’s opinion”
I would agree if wasn’t for Fantastic Mr. Fox.
I absolutely challenge both you and SteelyDan to explain exactly how Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and – yes, even The Darjeeling Limited – are devoid of STORY. In your own words, and be sure to show your work.
Go on.
And please do everyone a favor and skip the grandstanding retort and shuffling of feet as you are forced to fully disclose that your dislike for Wes Anderson movies is the only possible motivation for such a myopic and, frankly, stupid statement.
Anderson’s sometimes/arguably suffocating attention to detail and precious bits could certainly smokescreen those who aren’t capable of seeing two feet in front of them (or, as I posit above, those who willfully refuse to do so), but there are clearly stories being told in each of those titles…
Guess, though, that means works like Tropic of Cancer, American Psycho, Catcher in the Rye, Mon Oncle and Eraserhead ain’t about nuthin’, either. Come on, those works are all style, details and literary flash over substance, too, right…RIGHT?
Apples and oranges, gout. No one said “Eraserhead” and “Cather in the Rye” weren’t ABOUT anything, they said Wes Anderson has not demonstrated a command of basic story principles.
i must agree with gout. especially tossing henry miller, and david lynch in the mix! wes anderson is and always will be a true american original with something to say. if you don’t get the film… then it wasn’t meant for you. bottom line i pray wes will keep making more brilliant films for those movie goers with the aptitude to enjoy them.
wow. You obviously don’t know what story is
lol that’s telling him. The thing is that most movie viewers now days expect to be blown away with amazing visuals and fast pasted story telling, and that is just not Anderson style. Don’t get me wrong his sets are some of the best I have seen and his ability to tell a story is top notch its just the way he tells his stories that turns people away I think. It really is sad though because if they were to allow themselves to get immersed into the story (rather than just looking for some shiny special effects that are appealing to their eyes) they would probably enjoy it. Also the fact that you are calling this movie out before it has even started filming says something about you, and I don’t think Edward Norton is going to commit to a film he thinks is going to be :precious indie quirk”. So you just got told…I’m just saying.
Irrelevant in what way? His films are great no matter what is “in”
you, simply, are wrong.
Anderson is a boss. I am 21. And his films are not mere “indie quirk” as I am seeing thrown around a lot. That is extremely simplistic, and superficial.Its like saying pink floyd is kind of weird. His films address universal issues of family, trust and redemption that transcend the technical traits of the films. Additionally his work make you think, they don’t force obvious ideas in your face like culture has taught people to expect. Anderson has not lost the art of nuance like most other filmmakers have. If you don’t like Wes Anderson’s films, its probably because it addresses ideas that make you feel uncomfortable, such as a broken relationship. If his movies don’t touch you in some way, or all you can do to describe his movies are say “indie quirk”, then you probably weren’t paying attention, or are a robot with no emotion. Anderson is an acquired taste, only those who have the intellectual tenacity to engage in the viewing process long after the film is over will succeed in enjoying it. If you simply say, “i don’t get it…” then you should probably go watch avatar again. I will say that I found Bottle Rocket boring.
Well said Brian,
I don’t expect everyone to like his films, that would be silly. But for those who just like to add their own ‘snarky’ comments just seems mean spirited and loserish
Credit where credit is due, “The Fantastic Mr. Fox” was terrific and not the usual Anderson film. I’m not sure anyone should be writing the man off just yet.
to these negative comments that anderson is merely some quirky hipster, but especially to the comments by people who used to like anderson but find that he isn’t evolving or has lost his touch, you’re missing some really great movies. his films continue to be great, and each last one is more precious, filled with different ideas, and each on a different subject, than the last. furthermore, most great artists maintain certain themes through their work. that’s true of anderson, and not to a fault at all, as each anderson story is rich with its own purpose and has endless ideas and relatable feelings i take with me in my thoughts every day. some of these comments are just made by dismissive boobs, which this message don’t address because they’re just sort of stupid. but to people who used to like the guy– revisit life acquatic, darjeeling limited. these are powerful pictures with intensely differently told stories. i mean, i don’t see the logic of looking at rushmore, about an overreaching kid, and then looking at royal tenenbaums, about a depressed family of former geniuses, and then looking at the wacky, altogether unique life acquatic, about a roving gang of filmmakers fighting between reality and artificiality, and the darjeeling limited, a soulful look at three brothers with a disturbing lack of trust following a tragedy that has occurred in their lives, probably never having any, and find any sort of failing repetition, lack of originality. if anything, the films increase in breadth, feel, locations, ideas, variety of storytelling, sources of inspiration, and down to cast, look, vibe, costume, world. fantastic mr. fox was completely invented, for crying out loud. and something nothing else will ever look or feel like. so… if your leaving off point is rushmore or royal tenenbaums, like i often see it to be, look at life aquatic and darjeeling limited (maybe my personal favorite), or you’ll miss just how original they are. yes, there are familial themes in all of them, and each story takes place in the shadow of a patriarch, somewhat mainly. but any great– or at least many that i consider great– novelist, film auteur revisits themes, and usually only to more and more satisfactory results as their art progresses. all of this should be embraced due to anderson’s fantastically original voice, and his original, sublime, and perfectly and personally executed ideas, which continue to challenge and engage the mind and paint relatably beautiful moments of space and time in the film medium.
skip little preach the truth..
wes anderson is an auteur, his films have a “likeness” to them, whether exloring similiar themes or visual trends… dont hate on the man b/c he has a unique style, alot of the GREATEST filmmakers were akin to this…
darjeeling limited was his ONLY film i didnt care for… the life aquatic and the fantastic mr. fox were great…
“fantastic mr. fox was completely invented, for crying out loud.”
No it wasn’t. It was adapted from a well-known children’s book by Roald Dahl.
i meant that the world, the physical world in the fantastic mr. fox was completely invented….
id like to eat a peice of poop because it tastes bene
I wish Steely Dan, the band, never existed. God they suck horribly. Rot in hell.
Wes can do no wrong in my books. Bring it on!
I wish that every “We’re remaking Wild Wild West” story was followed by this.
I stopped caring about his films a long time ago. Would love to see him evolve as a filmmaker. Still wish him the best of luck
Amazing line-up for one of the world’s most exciting directors!
One thing, though: where are Anjelica Huston, Jason Schwartzman and Owen Wilson?
Sounds like Anderson may eventually have another entry in the Criterion Collection if this one turns out like his others…and it sounds good!
When Wes Anderson makes a movie, audiences run for the hills.
Sounds like a typical Suckfest! He should remake the Royal Tenenbaums – with our own Nikki Finke!! The Royal Finkenbaums!! Co-starring Mike Fleming and Nellie Andreeva. I’m it!
GO TEAM FINKO!
Oh this sounds reallyzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
“Moon Rise Kingdom” sets up a star vehicle for Murray & Willis to do what they do best: Brooding, off kilter older dudes with issues-deep, dark, sexual ones.
With Anderson at the helm, expect noirish twists in “Moon”.
“Sin City” made bank with a sinfully delightful romantic pairing-Willis and young-enough-to-be-his-daughter “Nancy”.
Punch up “Moon” the same way: Make Willis the secret lover of the young missing girl.
Through flashbacks, give us some “Sin City” raunchiness with a sexy rendezvous between the sheriff and the young “missing” girl.
Throw in the requisite “sheriff vs father” feud, local crazies (the scout master), and mature ladies with titillating agendas, and voila!:
A “Twin Peaks” + “Sin City” erotically mysterious vibe relocated to a small town in New England. Just follow their lead and “Moon Rise Kingdom” can’t miss.
Why doesn’t “Preston S” just write and direct this film.
For the love of god, who keeps giving this fop money to make the same pretentious piece of crap over and over? If anything he actually regresses each movie he makes.
The day this hack quits making films and starts shooting coffee table books and Pier One catalogues will be a high water mark in cinema.
noone with this perspective seems to ever back it up with evidence of pretentiousness or crappiness; the fact that the guy’s movies have gained notoriety is no reason to pan them.
Mr Fox was one of last year’s best films. Anderson doesn’t always hit home runs, but it’s great to see his work evolve.
I wholeheartedly agree. “Fantastic Mr. Fox” was my favorite film of last year – made me feel like a kid again, loved it. Can’t believe it was so overlooked.
Well, you gotta know that this will also have Luke and Owen Wilson in it, and probably Ben Stiller somewhere. Anderson rarely does anything without his posse.
Maybe Angelica Huston will show up as well.
Will this actually be something new or will it be the same movie he’s been making over and over again since Royal Tenenbaums that audiences avoid in droves.
It bears pointing out that Anderson’s films really haven’t been the same since he stopped writing with Owen Wilson after Royal Tenenbaums. Perhaps, just perhaps, Wilson was really the guy carrying that partnership?
I know I’m in the minority on this but I only liked Rushmore and Darjeeling. I felt Tenenbaums was only relatable to Upper East Siders and I live in L.A. I didn’t see “Fox” but I lost interest in Stop Motion Animation after seeing too much Wallace and Gromit.
I think a lot was expected of this auteur but he’s mostly failed to rise to the occasion.
What was your beef with Bottle Rocket?
I have a family, I think that is enough to relate to The Royal Tenenbaums – it doesn’t matter for me if they live in New York or on the Moon.
Despite that synopsis, I’m sure deep down it’ll really be about a pseudo-intellectial hipster male with daddy issues, like every single one of Anderson’s films boils down to. The guy made one great film with Rushmore, but emptied his bag of tricks in one go. Now his films practically define the grating, pretentious, self-conscious quirkiness that has blighted American indie cinema for the past decade. Count me out.
Can’t wait. I always look forward to a Wes Anderson film. He’s certainly expanding his actor pool a bit this time around.
After ‘Bottle Rocket’, Anderson’s only good film was ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’. ‘Life Acquatic’ and ‘Darjeeling Ltd.’ made me want to vomit. This movie sounds more Coen Bros.-esque and hopefully a sign of Anderson’s evolution.
wow.seems to me like someone who cant even spell aquatic, wouldnt really have the mental capacity to judge a film as brilliant as the life aquatic. stick to myspace.
Until this article I thought Tilda Swinton and Wes Anderson were the same person.
How to write a Wes Anderson film in 5 easy steps.
1. A passionate eccentric.
2. Leads his kooky family and friends.
3. On a series of oddball adventures.
4. Gets his friends in trouble and alienates them.
5. But wins them back with one last crazy scheme. End on a slow motion group shot.
“End on a slow motion group shot.”
you all are so harsh, but I admit, I had to laugh at this one.
eccentric is a very ambiguous word
I’m with Pete. Wes’ work has never been the same since he quit writing with Owen Wilson. Obviously, Wes and Tilda were separated at birth.
Wes Anderson is an important filmmaker. Despite the fact that his films lack entertainment value, consistent characterizations, dramatic tension, forward motion, pace, and wit (as opposed to verbal calisthenics), he attracts talented actors and financing. In an age where a director’s power is measured by the size of his tentpole, Anderson is the exception that disproves the rule. Personally, I would rather watch security camera tapes, but I gotta hand it to him: he gets pictures made.
The lack of a Wilson in this is suspect.
Read the script. It all takes place in one night, there’s this Midsummer Night’s Dream fantasy sequence that takes up most of the second act and once again Anderson doesn’t know how to end it. Could go either way.