Tom Hanks Joins Wes Anderson's New Spain-Set Film

Here’s a nice change of pace. While we still don’t know the title or what Wes Anderson’s next movie is about, other than it is set in Spain, we now know a major part of the casting puzzle. Tom Hanks is joining the movie alongside Anderson regulars like Bill Murray and Tilda Swinton. Unfortunately, THR, who breaks the news, says the exact size of Hanks’ role is unknown, but sources tell THR it is small and could be cameo-like in nature.

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OK, so that’s not exactly Tom Hanks taking the lead in a new Wes Anderson movie or anything, but it is something, and once you join the Anderson troupe, you generally stay there, which could be exciting.

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Very little, or next to nothing, is known about the film, but Adrien Brody, Bill Murray and Tilda Swinton will appear, and Anderson is obviously writing and directing it himself. Also, unclear if Spain has anything to do with the plot or is just a backdrop.

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The stories for the last few Anderson films have been credited to Anderson and his friends and seemingly constant collaborators of late, a group that generally includes Jason Schwartzman and Roman Coppola. The two, along with a few other interchanging writers, have been credited on “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “Isle Of Dogs,” and the upcoming “The French Dispatch.” Collaborator Hugo Guinness is one of the people credited with the story of ‘Dispatch,’ and he was also credited on “The Grand Budapest Hotel.”

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Anderson is moving at a fast clip these days. Having just debuted “The French Dispatch” at Cannes, the movie comes out in the U.S. via Searchlight Picture on Oct. 22. That picture features many Anderson regulars too Brody, Murray and Swinton star in the film, along with Frances McDormand, Timothee Chalamet, Elisabeth Moss, Willem Dafoe, and Jeffrey Wright, among others.

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This isn’t the first time Anderson has aimed for a major star to feature in one of his films. Early on in the life of “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Anderson had been talking to Johnny Depp about the lead role (and in fact, it looked like he had officially landed the role at one point), and that eventually went to Ralph Fiennes. Hanks’ role obviously does not sound as major, but it’s a welcome, fresh surprise nonetheless.