The Asteroid City trailer offers the first look at Wes Anderson's new film. The celebrated director, who is a seven-time Oscar nominee, is known for films with detailed, stylized images and large ensemble casts, whether they be live-action like Grand Budapest Hotel or stop-motion like Fantastic Mr. Fox. Asteroid City, which features one of his largest ensembles yet, is Anderson's first film since the 2021 anthology The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun, which itself followed his previous film, 2018's Isle of Dogs, by an even longer gap.
Today, Focus Features debuted the first official trailer for Asteroid City ahead of its theatrical premiere on June 16.
In addition to showing off the film's massive cast, it also reveals a first look at Tom Hanks' Wes Anderson debut, leaning fully into the director's aesthetic as a gruff grandfather dressed in pastels. The film also received an official poster, which can be seen below:
Wes Anderson is Using All His Favorite Directorial Tricks in Asteroid City
The most important thing that the Asteroid City trailer reveals is that Anderson is not only up to his old tricks, but he is also heavily leaning into them. This is perhaps why he has included so many familiar faces in the cast, making the film a celebration of past works. In addition to Hanks, the trailer shows glimpses of characters played by previous Anderson collaborators and new additions as well, including Jason Schwartzman, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston, Maya Hawke, and Hong Chau.
The performers have been tasked with performing in Anderson's signature deadpan style. This acting method is one he leans on to complement the very precise, symmetrical, pastel-laden stylization of his typical cinematography. In Asteroid City he takes that look and pushes it to its very limit, making Asteroid City itself look flat and fake, more like an illustrated postcard than an actual real-life location.
Asteroid City is a natural continuation of Anderson's carefully controlled live-action films like Grand Budapest Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom. By doubling down on the tropes that he is known for, the director seems to be making the statement that he's not going anywhere and has no intention of changing his beloved aesthetic. It remains to be seen if the film can delight a wider audience than those who are already Anderson devotees, especially given the mixed reviews for The French Dispatch, but it nevertheless looks to be a potent blast of style with a widely renowned cast bringing it to life.
Source: Focus Features