Among the many hallmarks of the films of Wes Anderson, perhaps one defining feature is the director’s ability to pull together ludicrously starry ensemble casts. A-listers jump at the chance of being a part of his films. And the big names who enter his orbit rarely leave, returning again and again. “Who is in the new Wes Anderson film?” doesn’t just mean “Who are the leads?” It means: “Can you please give me a breakdown of the doubtless incredible cast?” His hotly anticipated latest film The Phoenician Scheme is out in cinemas now and is also competing at the Cannes film festival. Read on to see who’s who in it.
Benicio del Toro – Zsa-zsa Korda
As with most of the actors in The Phoenician Scheme, Del Toro has worked with Anderson before, but only relatively recently: he previously starred as a disturbed artist in 2021’s anthological The French Dispatch. Now it’s his turn to take the lead: in Anderson’s 1950-set globetrotting adventure, he stars as Zsa-zsa Korda, a ruthless charismatic European business tycoon targeted by assassins, governments and the international business community after he comes up with a radical scheme to seal his legacy and secure his fortune. His scheme involves three infrastructure projects spread across Modern Greater Independent Phoenicia, a fictionalised country that is named after an ancient region.
Previous Anderson films: The French Dispatch.
Mia Threapleton – Liesl
Just 24 years old, Threapleton is a newcomer to the world of Anderson, but she’s surely going to be invited back after this terrific debut. In the co-lead role she is a hoot as Korda’s daughter Liesl, an unflappable and stoic nun who gets roped into his convoluted machinations.
Previous Anderson films: newcomer.
Michael Cera – Bjorn Lund
Another Anderson debutante, Cera has been in many films but will doubtless always be best known for his iconic turn as the hapless George Michael Bluth in the millennial comedy classic Arrested Development. In The Phoenician Scheme he plays Lund, the bumbling Norwegian tutor to Korda’s nine sons. There may be more to him than meets the eye.
Previous Anderson films: newcomer.
Tom Hanks – Leland
Hanks is one of the most famous movie actors in history, has two Oscars to his name and is loved by pretty much everyone – so moviegoers will be more than pleased to see him appear in Anderson’s latest offering following his turn as Stanley Zak in Asteroid City. This time, Hanks appears as Leland, a mistrustful business associate of Korda’s.
Previous Anderson films: Asteroid City.
Bryan Cranston – Reagan
Having come into Anderson’s orbit some years ago when he took a leading voice role in the stop motion Isle of Dogs, Breaking Bad star Cranston returns for a third collaboration with the auteur. He plays Reagan, the grouchy business partner to Hanks’s similarly cantankerous Leland.
Previous Anderson films: Isle of Dogs, Asteroid City.
Mathieu Amalric – Marseilles Bob
Characterful French actor Amalric has one of the longest associations with Anderson of anyone on this list, having first come on board as the hapless butler Serge X in the film-maker’s magnum opus The Grand Budapest Hotel. Here he plays Marseilles Bob, another associate of Korda’s who Del Toro’s character must try to extract more money from after a group of international bureaucrats complicate his scheme.
Previous Anderson films: The Grand Budapest Hotel, The French Dispatch.
Richard Ayoade – Sergio
The comedian and actor has joined Anderson’s circle recently, being one of several Brits who formed the core cast of the Roald Dahl anthology The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More. Here, he plays Sergio, a curiously ethical freedom fighter.
Previous Anderson films: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More.
Riz Ahmed – Prince Farouk
The rapper-slash-actor is the third and final Anderson first-timer in the sprawling headline cast. He plays Prince Farouk, the heir to the country of Phoenicia who Korda ropes into a ludicrously high-pressure game of basketball. Despite Phoenicia being a made-up country – similar to The Grand Budapest Hotel’s Zubrowka – one senses that it’s loosely based upon mid-20th-century Egypt.
Previous Anderson films: newcomer.
Jeffrey Wright – Marty
Wright’s first film appearance since his Academy Award-nominated turn in American Fiction is his third team-up with Anderson. He plays somewhat against type as the chatty, fast-talking Marty, yet another investor in Korda’s convoluted scheme.
Previous Anderson films: The French Dispatch and Asteroid City.
Scarlett Johansson – Cousin Hilda
Johansson’s fascinatingly eclectic and busy career has taken in a lot of very different films, seesawing from giant blockbusters to cool indie projects. Her sheer range has won her accolades and fans across the spectrum. In The Phoenician Scheme she plays Cousin Hilda, Korda’s second cousin and prospective wife.
Previous Anderson films: Isle of Dogs and Asteroid City.
Benedict Cumberbatch – Uncle Nubar
Another Brit who hopped on board for Henry Sugar and is now returning for another Anderson movie is Cumberbatch, who has had a pretty drastic makeover to play the magnificently bearded Uncle Nubar. It would be spoiling the film somewhat to explain his exact role, but Nubar embodies the rancour that can ensue when business and family don’t mix.
Previous Anderson films: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More.
Rupert Friend – Excaliber
Chameleonic Brit Rupert Friend has been in every Anderson film since The French Dispatch; he makes it four for four with The Phoenician Scheme. He plays Excaliber, code name for an Ivy League American in charge of a clandestine international bureaucrat mission to monitor (and disrupt) Korda’s enterprise.
Previous Anderson films: The French Dispatch, Asteroid City, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More.
Hope Davis – Mother Superior
Veteran US actor Davis has an impressively long CV, but turned up in an Anderson film for the first time in 2023 for Asteroid City. Now she’s back for more, in a small role as the representative of the holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic church, and religious tutor to Liesl.
Previous Anderson films: Asteroid City.
To find out more about Wes Anderson’s new film The Phoenician Scheme, visit universalpictures.co.uk
In cinemas from 23 May
