Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch hasn’t yet seen a wide release, but on the heels of its Cannes Film Festival screening, we now have some news about what Anderson will be up to next. Some details about the film emerged in July — namely, that it would be shot in Spain and that its cast would include Anderson regulars Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody and Bill Murray.
Now you can add Tom Hanks’s name to that case. Citing news from The Hollywood Reporter, Vulture reports that Hanks will join the cast, albeit in what’s rumored to be a smaller role. This does seem like par for the course for Anderson’s films, which tend to feature absurdly stacked casts — The French Dispatch being, perhaps, the apex of this tendency.
Hanks’s own record working with acclaimed directors offers a fascinating view on his filmography. His work with Stephen Spielberg has resulted in a number of excellent collaborations, and I’m also very partial to his work in the Mike Nichols film Charlie Wilson’s War. He’s also made films with the Wachowski sisters (Cloud Atlas) and the Coen brothers (The Ladykillers), both of which received a more mixed reception.
As for what we can expect from Hanks’s foray into working with Anderson, that’s less clear — though given that Hanks is equally at home doing somber drama and screwball comedy, his role could be anywhere on the map.
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