Well, we haven't heard much about Wes Anderson's latest in the last little while, but it looks like we're going to get a lot more details on "Moonrise Kingdom" as it's arriving in just about five months.
Focus Features has set the film for a May 25th limited release, following their usual platform rollout style. Details have been kept tight on the project, but the film is set in 1960s New England, with the story centering on a young boy and young girl who fall in love and run away together, turning their small town upside down in the process. Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Harvey Keitel and newcomers Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward feature in the picture, and given the date and star power involved we wonder if a trip to Cannes might be in the works.
Granted, Wes Anderson has never been to Cannes, but we could easily see Focus taking a page from the Sony Pictures Classics playbook for "Midnight In Paris." Perhaps an out-of-competition slot, an excuse to get the starry cast on the red carpet, and then a release just after the fest closes? Not out of the question. Either way, this film marks Anderson's first real period picture, with a plot entirely centered around young children, so we're anxious to see what he's conjured up.
Also in Focus news, they've set the Steve Carell and Keira Knightley apocalyptic dramedy "Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World" with an April 20th wide release. The directorial debut of “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” writer Lorene Scafaria stars Carell as a man who, when an asteroid is about to bring about the end of the world, enlists his neighbor (Knightley), to search for his childhood sweetheart. Patton Oswalt, T.J. Miller, Rob Huebel, Connie Britton, Adam Brody, Derek Luke and Rob Corddry co-star.
Finally, the Paul Dano and Robert De Niro drama "Being Flynn" will hit on March 2nd. The story follows Nick, a young man in his twenties (Dano) who works at various homeless shelters in Boston, and spots his estranged father (De Niro) seeking a bed one night, leading him to face his past. Olivia Thirlby plays Denise, the love interest who helps Dano land the job, while Julianne Moore plays Nick's mother, Jody. Lili Taylor and Dale Dickey round out the impressive cast. The film is directed by "About A Boy" and "In Good Company" helmer Paul Weitz. [Thompson On Hollywood]