Filmmaker Wes Anderson's Golden Globe-nominated Moonrise Kingdom is not only a critical darling and financial success, it's also one of indie auteur's rare films to cross-over beyond his fanbase (read our review, for case in point). Hence, the heightened interest his next project, titled The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Anderson has confirmed his stock company of actors (including Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson) are onboard for Grand Budapest Hotel. He is also re-teaming with numerous past collaborators - such as Moonrise Kingdom players Tilda Swinton and Edward Norton - and new additions Ralph Fiennes and Jude Law.

During a THR interview about his career in general, Anderson teased the plot and setting of Grand Budapest Hotel - before formerly announced the impressive ensemble cast. To quote:

Well, yes, [my next film is] Grand Budapest Hotel. It’s a Euro movie. It’s a period picture. I can tell you the cast -- maybe you already know the cast, but I can tell you properly who it is: We have Ralph Fiennes, and we have Tilda Swinton and Jeff Goldblum, Willem Dafoe, we have F. Murray Abraham and Jude Law, and we’ve got Adrien Brody, Edward Norton, Harvey Keitel, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, and Mathieu Amalric. And I think Owen [Wilson] is gonna have a little part, too. Oh, Saoirse Ronan has quite a big part. I’m thinking if I’ve forgotten anybody. Yeah, we have a good group.

Goldblum and Dafoe appeared in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou; meanwhile, Keitel showed up in Moonrise Kingdom and Brody played one of the central siblings (with Wilson and Schwartzman) in The Darjeeling Limited. Grand Budapest Hotel marks the first collaboration between Anderson and Oscar-winner Abraham (who's fresh off a two-episode stint on Homeland); that also goes for Amalric (Quantum of Solace) and Oscar-nominee Saoirse Ronan, who headlines next year's Stephenie Meyer adaptation The Host.

This writer is among those who feel Anderson's art continues to ripen and improve with each passing film, so my interest in Grand Budapest Hotel is certainly piqued. Moreover, he seems to work at a steady, but comfortable, pace and strikes a good balance between reusing the same people and bringing in fresh blood (in terms of both cast and creative personnel) - and those are encouraging thoughts.

The Grand Budapest Hotel begins filming next year, with a late 2014 release date in mind (IMDb currently lists December 26th, but that doesn't appear to be official).

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Source: THR