The Phoenician Scheme: release date, cast, plot and more about the latest Wes Anderson film

Wes Anderson's black-comedy espionage film The Phoenician Scheme is all set to hit theaters this summer, bringing the iconic director's work back to screens with his signature visual flair, quirky ensemble cast, and razor-sharp dialogue.

The trailer for the film, which dropped on 7th April, shows Benicio del Toro in the lead, who plays a bloodied and black-eyed arms dealer who has survived six plane crashes.

The stunning ensemble includes multiple A-listers including Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johannson and Mia Threapleton. Shot in Germany, the film brings back Anderson and his long-time collaborator Roman Coppola, with whom he has co-written the film.

Here's everything you need to know about Anderson's next visual treat.

Cast of The Phoenician Scheme

Opening Ceremony - The 16th Film Festival Lumiere In Lyon - Source: Getty

The Academy Award winning actor, Benicio del Toro, is the lead in Anderson's upcoming film, playing the role of Zsa-zsa Korda, an arms dealer. Mia Threapleton stars as his daughter, Sister Liesl, who is a nun and the only daughter among Korda's ten children.

The ensemble includes:

Tom Hanks as Leland
Bryan Cranston as Reagan
Riz Ahmed as Prince Farouk
Rupert Friend as Excaliber
Benedict Cumberbatch as Uncle Nubar

More stars who are a part of the film are Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Richard Ayoade, Hope Davis, Bill Murray and William Dafoe in unspecified roles.

What is the plot of The Phoenician Scheme?

Still from The Phoenician Scheme (Image via Youtube @/Focus Features)

The movie has a very brief logline that says it's a movie about family and family business. Although the details are vague, the first trailer for it looks absolutely promising, with all the right elements of Andreson's signature style.

The trailer shows Benicio del Toro's character surviving his sixth plane crash which leads him to decide on a family heir as he prepares to face the upcoming danger from terrorists. As the trailer suggests, his nun-daughter Liesl is one of his top choices, despite having nine other sons.

The film will, of course, feature Anderson's personalized aesthetics of vibrant yet muted color palettes and a diorama-like perspective to the characters, presented in a rather charming and theatrical way.

Anderson himself has acknowledged the deliberate nature of his visual and narrative choices—ones that have come to define his distinct cinematic identity. Speaking at the Lumière Film Festival in 2023, the director said:

“I think about what’s new for this movie, how do I make this movie the best it can be, how do I get the greatest collaborators together. And yet every time I make a movie, the first thing people say is: ‘You can sure tell who made this one!’.

What is the release date for The Phoenician Scheme?

The film is set to release in the United States on 30 March, 2025. Soon after that it will see a worldwide release on June 6. The film is being distributed by Focus Features, making it Anderson's third collaboration with the production house after Moonrise Kingdom and Asteroid City.