Notoriously meticulous director Wes Anderson seems to be speeding up his usual development process – which generally produces a new film every three years – and putting together the pieces for his next project. Hot on the heels of his successful, pubescent kids dancing in their underwear movie, Moonrise Kingdom, comes The Grand Budapest Hotel, an Anderson-penned script that is said to feature an ensemble cast, but is a mystery as far as character breakdowns or synopsis are concerned.
News of the new Anderson project broke a little over a week ago, when Twitch reported they’d heard the director had begun casting on a new film, and that he was in various stages of negotiations with Johnny Depp, Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Jude Law, Jeff Goldblum, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, and Angela Lansbury.
A list of names that talented and notable may sound like wishful thinking, but a report from Deadline Clute now confirms that at least some of it is true. Not only did they get their hands on the title of the film, but they’re also reporting that Depp has been wrapped up and is officially set to star.
With title and star now known, that opens up the doors for a little bit more speculation as far as this prospective film is concerned. Will a collaboration with Anderson be exactly what the doctor ordered when it comes to pulling another great performance out of Johnny Depp, who has seemed to be coasting ever since the first Pirates of the Caribbean? Twitch’s cast list has proven to be at least partially correct, so does it mean anything that the names on the list skew a bit older than Anderson’s usual ensembles? Is the director finally set to make a movie that doesn’t deal with childhood themes? Does the title indicate that this film is actually going to be set in a hotel located in Budapest, or is it just something clever that will make sense later?
And, perhaps most importantly, how jealous is this casting news making Tim Burton? First Depp keeps wearing silly wigs for Gore Verbinski, and now this!