Asteroid City: Release Date, Cast, Plot Details, Trailer & Everything We Know (2024)

Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City is already shaping up to be among 2023’s most anticipated movies, and following the release of the project’s first trailer, several details about the film’s cast, characters and story have been revealed. Wes Anderson first gathered fame as a filmmaker for his 1996 debut Bottle Rocket, but it was the success of Rushmore two years later that really solidified him as a huge talent. His use of colors and unconventional framing gives his projects a very distinct atmosphere, and it’s already clear that he’ll be carrying that forward into Asteroid City.

Much like The Grand Budapest Hotel and The French Dispatch, Anderson’s upcoming project will house an amazing ensemble of talented actors - many of whom the director has already worked with previously. It’s shaping up to be a hugely exciting movie, and given the unconventional nature of the plot, it’s also one that will likely stand out strongly among the rest of Anderson’s movies. This anticipation surrounding Asteroid City has already made it into several predictions for the 2024 Oscars.

Asteroid City Latest News

The latest news for Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City came in the form of a first-look trailer, which was released by Focus Features and offers an initial glimpse into what this story will be all about. The film’s title (and official existence) was announced by Anderson’s long-term collaborator Bill Murray at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2021 (via NME), so it’s been a long wait until this most recent trailer. It’s been extremely well-received online and deemed another visual masterclass for Anderson, with a story that’s got many people talking and continues to build buzz in the months before release.

Asteroid City Release Date

Anderson's Asteroid City has the worldwide summer release date: June 23rd, 2023 (although some may be able to watch it a week before since it does have a limited theatrical release as well). Before that, Asteroid City is confirmed to be premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in May (via Deadline), but that’ll only be open to accredited members of the press, so it’ll be a longer wait for the general public. The film’s decision to premiere at Cannes is indicative of the team’s confidence in Asteroid City, suggesting that it’s going to be another huge success for the director.

Asteroid City Cast

Much like the rest of Wes Anderson’s projects, it’s the cast that really makes Asteroid City such a high-profile project. The movie sees plenty of Anderson’s favorite collaborators returning, with actors such as Adrien Brody, Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman, Bryan Cranston, Scarlet Johansson, and Tilda Swinton coming back for another opportunity with the director. This is huge news for fans of Anderson’s filmography, already proving that Asteroid City is good enough to have enticed all these huge names back once again.

While the names and backgrounds of most characters have yet to be announced, the trailer revealed that Schwartzman and Johansson will be playing characters named Augie Steenbeck and Midge Campbell respectively. They appear to be the main characters, alongside fellow Anderson veterans Jeffrey Wright and Tilda Swinton. However, the ensemble also includes several names that haven’t already worked alongside the auteur filmmaker. These include Hollywood stars Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, and Hong Chau. It’s been reported that Asteroid City will be even “larger than most other Anderson films that are ensemble in nature.” (via THR)

Asteroid City Story Details

The plot details for Asteroid City still contains an air of mystery, but the latest trailer has shed some light on the themes and ideas that Anderson will be exploring in the story. The film will follow the shocking extraterrestrial events that take place during the annual Junior Stargazer convention in Asteroid City in 1955, chronicling the aftermath of this alien encounter and exploring how it transforms the town. It’s a bold and daring plot line for such a seemingly lighthearted movie, but balancing comedy and drama is something that Anderson has always done excellently throughout his career.

The Asteroid City trailer also seems to suggest some kind of family drama at the center of this story, with Tom Hanks’ character on the way to visit his grandchildren and their father, who’ve broken down in the titular town. Just like the rest of Anderson’s filmography, there seems to be some deep-rooted sadness and melancholy hidden beneath the comedic surface, which will hopefully give these talented actors something meaningful and powerful to work with.

There’s also a line in the trailer that suggests something a little more science fiction-based in Asteroid City, as one character says that “some of our information about outer space may no longer be completely accurate”, implying that there’s something unknown and maybe even sinister haunting the residents of the town. The theme of aliens is something that Anderson has never tackled in his movies before, but it seems to play a large role in Asteroid City, bringing into question just how different this project will be from the filmmaker’s previous ones.

Asteroid City Trailer

The first trailer for Asteroid City was released on March 30th, less than three months before the film’s wide release. This short window suggests that Anderson and his marketing team are trying to create some real buzz for the project, gathering momentum that will keep audiences hooked and intrigued right until release. The actual contents of the trailer prove this too, as there are many plot points that are quickly glossed over and left a mystery. The relationships between the characters and their many on-screen interactions are kept short, proving that there’s much more to this project than what’s being shown already.

Asteroid City could easily be another great addition to Wes Anderson’s filmography if the final product ends up being half as intriguing as the trailer and information that’s been released so far. While it definitely seems like a departure from the themes and ideas that Anderson usually navigates in his movies, the trailer proves that his signature style and meaningful storytelling aren’t going anywhere.

Source: NME, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter