Moonrise Kingdom

[MacGuffin]

Wes Anderson To Shoot New Film In Spring 2011, 12 Year Old Boy & Girl Sought For Lead Roles
Source: The Playlist

Production Weekly has been hitting Twitter in a big way over the past 24 hours, and now they've dropped their biggest piece of news yet: Wes Anderson plans to shoot his next film in the spring of 2011.

We did some digging and while we don't have too many details yet, from what we've heard, the director is seeking a boy and a girl, aged 12 years old for the lead roles. So could Anderson be continuing in the vein of younger fare after the excellent "Fantastic Mr. Fox"? Could be. At any rate, he's already said he doesn't plan to direct "The Rosenthal Suite," his rewrite of the French comedy hit "My Best Friend" that he was linked to late last year. And we don't think it's the long-gestating script he and Noah Baumbach have been kicking around that doesn't quite seem finished anyway.

At any rate, it's a new Wes Anderson film to look forward to. We're excited and eager to see what the director has in store.

[modage]

Details for Wes Anderson's next project, said to be titled Moonrise Kingdom have been revealed via Production Weekly's Twitter feed.

Anderson is said to have begun pre-production on the project and plans to shoot in spring of 2011.

No plot details are currently available, though it is noted that this project is planned for as a live action feature.

[Gold Trumpet]

Is it Moonrise Kingdom or Moorise Kingdom?

[tpfkabi]

Hard for me to think of him doing a dual 12 yr old lead film set in modern times. Maybe it will have the feel of his idol Bogdanovich's Paper Moon.

Is a Twitter news source to be believed anyway?

[The Perineum Falcon]

The news source is Production Weekly, posted to their twitter feed.

Perhaps he's doing something along the lines of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler?

[modage]

Wes Anderson Attracts Killer Cast For 'Moon Rise Kingdom'
Source: Deadline

EXCLUSIVE: When Wes Anderson is ready to make a movie, talent comes running. I'm told that Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton are all in talks to star in Moon Rise Kingdom, a script that Anderson wrote with Roman Coppola and which Anderson will direct late next spring. Scott Rudin is producing with Anderson.

Indian Paintbrush, the financier/production company bankrolled by billionaire Steven Rales, is in early conversations to fund the film and come aboard as producer. Rales, who recently installed Rudin's longtime president Mark Roybal to run the company and step up its output of auteur-driven prestige films, has a strong relationship with Anderson. Rales was involved as a producer in Anderson's The Fantastic Mr. Fox as well as The Darjeeling Limited. Both films were produced by Rudin.

Moon Rise Kingdom is set in the 60s. Two young adults fall in love and run away. Leaders in their New England town are sticking the idea that they've disappeared and go in search of them. Norton will play a scout leader who brings his charges on a search. Willis is in talks to play the town sheriff who's also looking, and who is having an affair with the missing girl's mother, the role McDormand is in talks to play. Murray, a regular in Anderson films, will play the girl's father, who has his own issues.

[MacGuffin]

Jason Schwartzman On Board For Wes Anderson's 'Moonrise Kingdom'
Source: The Playlist

It's safe to say at this point that we're looking forward to Wes Anderson's "Moon Rise Kingdom" as much as anything else that's coming out in 2012. The "Rushmore" helmer, one of the most important voices to appear in American film in the last couple of decades, had shown signs of ossifying with the misfires "The Life Aquatic" and "The Darjeeling Limited," and it didn't help that film festivals were suddenly inundated with streams of poor quality Anderson knock-offs. But 2009's animated excursion "Fantastic Mr. Fox" turned out to be the director's best work in years, and early word suggests that he's edging out of his comfort zone for his next picture. When the project was initially announced last November, the cast was full of names who'd never worked with the director before, aside from Bill Murray, who's appeared in every one of his films since "Rushmore." Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton and Frances McDormand were all said to be on board for the film, a 1960s-set tale about two young adults who fall in love and run away, leading to panic in their small New England town. However, it seems that some of the traditional Anderson players may feature in the film as well—Owen Wilson hinted a few months back that he might have a small role in the film, and now one of the actors most associated with the director seems to have joined as well. Providence's Examiner reports that not only will the film be shooting in the spring in Rhode Island, but that Jason Schwartzman has joined Norton, McDormand, Willis, Swinton and Murray in the film. Schwartzman was, of course, the lead in "Rushmore," and was also among the cast for "The Darjeeling Limited" (and its accompanying short "Hotel Chevalier"), and "Fantastic Mr. Fox." While no official word has come in about the casting (announced by local agency LDI Casting)—inquiries with reps for the actor weren't returned as of press time—it seems pretty legitimate at this point. There's no word on the role that Schwartzmann would take, but we're glad to see him back in the fold as his best work has always been with Anderson. With Rhode Island's tax credit program likely to expire on July 1st, the film needs to get before cameras sooner rather than later, which backs up what we've heard about a May start date —Steven Feinberg, of The Rhode Island Film & Television Office, says that it'll film on Aquidneck Island, as well as a number of other locations around Rhode Island. We're firmly excited about this one, assuming everything that's rumored pans out. There's no word on a release date yet, but with a May start date, could a Cannes 2012 bow be on the cards?

[MacGuffin]

First Look:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/archives/first_look_at_edward_norton_bill_murray_on_the_set_of_wes_andersons/

[AntiDumbFrogQuestion]

I'm not sure how many people are excited about this film, but I am still interested in seeing it and seeing how it turns out.  I actually saw Darjeeling Limited as a departure in that it went for a more naturalistic style of acting, mostly courtesy of one Mr. Adrien Brody.  I want this to actually be good, so I'm giving it a bump by saying so.

(....y'know, cuz my opinion is so important & all that).

[MacGuffin]

Tilda Swinton Says She'll Face Off With Bruce Willis In Wes Anderson's 'Moonrise Kingdom'
Source: Playlist

Exclusive: One of the reasons we're more excited for "Moonrise Kingdom" than we have been for any Wes Anderson film in a decade is the cast. While a few of Anderson's usual repertory company—most notably Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzmann, are returning—the leads, a twelve-year-old boy and girl, are newcomers (Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward), and the supporting cast are made up of some intriguing new names, including Bruce Willis, Edward Norton and Frances McDormand.

We just spoke to one of the film's Anderson first-timers, Oscar-winning indie darling Tilda Swinton, in Toronto, about her much-acclaimed Lynne Ramsay picture "We Need To Talk About Kevin" (look for more from that discussion in the next few days), and while she was understandably reticent to discuss a film that only wrapped recently, she was kind enough to fill us in a little bit on the experience, and on the role she'll be taking with in the film.

On working with Anderson for the first time on the project, Swinton said that, "It was a real joy. [The film]'s the most recent party that I accepted to go and enjoy, and that was really great fun." The 1960s-set tale involves the aftermath of two children who run away from a small New England town together, and Swinton confirmed that the plot will also follow the grown-ups involved in the search, of which she plays one. "It's about a community of adults who don't really know what they're doing, and I play one of them. She's the point of authority, she's social services, and she's brought in as a sort of last resort, force majeure. And she has a head to head with Bruce Willis, which you can imagine is quite fun."

Indeed, when Swinton says that "she's social services," she's not kidding; the character, described as "a fifty-year-old woman in a blue and white uniform pants-suit with a Salvation Army officer-style hat and a red ribbon tied in a bow around her neck," is named simply Social Services in the script. It seems like a fun part for Swinton, particularly given the prospect of facing off with Willis, and she certainly seems to have enjoyed the experience: "It was Fran McDormand, and Edward Norton, and Bill Murray, and Harvey Keitel, and it was laugh-a-minute. For us, anyway. Who knows what'll happen in the cinema."

We're still a ways away from seeing "Moonrise Kingdom"; the film not likely to surface until the fall festival season a year from now, although a Cannes bow is theoretically possible. But "We Need To Talk About Kevin" will land much sooner, on December 2nd domestically, and you can expect more from Swinton and director Lynne Ramsay on that project very soon.

[O.]

I've been wondering how the synergy between Wes Anderson and Bruce Willis would be on-set, Willis being the purported hard-faced un-directable juggernaut that makes Kevin Smith tremble (probably not that hard in any case). Definitely excited to see how he will play out, hopefully not out of place.

[MacGuffin]

Wes Anderson Says 'Moonrise Kingdom' Has A "Big Musical Element" To It, But It Won't Rely On "Songs"

Also Says That Blu-Ray Of 'The Royal Tenenbaums' Is On The Way
Source: Playlist

Can you believe it's been ten years since "The Royal Tenenbaums" made it into theaters? That's right, a decade since Wes Anderson proved that "Bottle Rocket" and "Rushmore" were no flashes in the pan, a decade since we were introduced to Royal, Etheline, Chas, Margot, Richie, Ari & Uzi, and a decade since Gene Hackman's last great performance (unless, of course, Alexander Payne can tempt him out of retirement for "Nebraska"). Not that Anderson's dwelling in the past; he's currently in the cutting room for "Moonrise Kingdom," his first live-action film in five years, which features Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Harvey Keitel, in addition to Anderson veterans Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzmann.

To mark the ten-year anniversary of the release of 'Tenenbaums,' a special screening was held at the New York Film Festival, which we reported on at the time, but shortly before that, the head honcho of The Playlist was honored to present an intimate Q&A with the helmer at the Upper West Side Apple Store, as part of their Meet The Filmmaker series, which has now found its way onto iTunes as a podcast (download it here!). And amongst all the info about 'Tenenbaums' were some hints about where the director might be going with the music for "Moonrise Kingdom."

Anderson told us that he frequently has tracks in mind from the writing stage. For example, on "The Royal Tenenbaums," he said there were a number of examples from the film's inception, often with tracks to the film's New York setting.  "[There was a track] based on Romanian composer George Iunescu," Anderson said, "but adapted by Mark Mothersbaugh into something more fitted to the movie. There was a Nico song, the first real scene I had in mind for the movie was set to that. And there's a Ramones one, and the Paul Simon, that was something that was planned in the script... I did have a thought that the music should be connected to New York as much as it could be. There was a John Lennon song there too, which I still feel is connected.  I think it was recorded at the Dakota or something, it was like a demo."

The director expanded, "sometimes it sparks something, or sometimes I have a scene in mind and the two things meet, and I start shaping it around that." He explains that on "Moonrise Kingdom," he's gone through a similar process, but don't expect the usual likes of the Kinks & the Rolling Stones to crop up. "I'm working on a film now that we just finished shooting," Anderson said, "and that has a big musical element, but there are not really songs in it. But the music was still a big part, always the music is a big thing."

Hmm, intriguing; "Moonrise Kingdom" is now wrapped, and will hit theaters some time in 2012, while Anderson hinted that a spanking new edition of 'Royal Tenenbaums' is on the way next year too, saying that "there's gonna be a Blu-Ray sometime pretty soon." A good year for Anderson fans, then. And head to iTunes for more from the filmmaker.

[polkablues]

Wes Anderson Says 'Moonrise Kingdom' Has A "Big Musical Element" To It, But It Won't Rely On "Songs"

So..... score?

[O.]

Wes Anderson Says 'Moonrise Kingdom' Has A "Big Musical Element" To It, But It Won't Rely On "Songs"

So..... score?

[MacGuffin]

Wes Anderson's 'Moonrise Kingdom' Will Hit Theaters On May 25, 2012 In Limited Release
Source: Playlist

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.