‘The French Dispatch’: Everything You Need to Know About Wes Anderson’s New Movie

A Story About the Press

Rumors circulated before “The French Dispatch” even had a title that Anderson’s new movie would be a musical set in 1950s France. The musical part turned out not to be so true, but the movie’s Paris setting has been confirmed. The official synopsis for “The French Dispatch” refers to the movie as a “love letter to journalists set at an outpost of an American newspaper in 20th Century Paris.” Anderson pulled back the curtain on the film a bit more while speaking to French publication Charente Libre in April.

“The story is not easy to explain,” Anderson said. “[It’s about an] American journalist based in France [who] creates his magazine. It is more a portrait of this man, of this journalist who fights to write what he wants to write. It’s not a movie about freedom of the press, but when you talk about reporters you also talk about what’s going on in the real world.”

Anderson’s Most Beloved Actors Are Back…

Wes Anderson’s casts have gotten more star-studded over the years, but nothing compares to the ensemble he’s put together for “The French Dispatch.” The movie is set to feature Frances McDormand in her first live-action role since winning her second Oscar for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” McDormand joined Anderson’s troupe with “Moonrise Kingdom” and had a voice role in “Isle of Dogs.” Tilda Swinton also debuted in “Moonrise Kingdom” and went on to appear in both “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Isle of Dogs.” Many of Anderson’s “Grand Budapest” supporting players are re-appearing in “The French Dispatch,” including Saoirse Ronan, Willem Dafoe, Mathieu Amalric, and Adrien Brody (who also starred in “The Darjeeling Limited”). 

Most importantly, “The French Dispatch” is bringing back some of Anderson’s longest-running acting collaborations. Anderson’s “Rushmore” stars Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman are confirmed for the movie, as are Owen Wilson and Bob Balaban. Wilson got his start in the industry with Anderson after co-writing and starring in the director’s feature debut “Bottle Rocket.” 

…and Very Promising Actors Join Anderson’s Ranks

As for the actors making their Wes Anderson debuts in “The French Dispatch,” four are extremely notable: Timothée Chalamet, Benicio del Toro, Kate Winslet, and Elisabeth Moss. Chalamet has become one of the most beloved names in indie film after earning an Oscar nomination for “Call Me By Your Name,” and “The French Dispatch” marks one last indie film before he goes blockbuster as the star of Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune.” Winslet and Del Toro are both Oscar winners, while Moss is an Emmy winner for her work on Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

Other actors set to appear in “The French Dispatch” include Christoph Waltz, Lois Smith, Henry Winkler, Rupert Friend, Griffin Dune, and French actors Denis Ménochet, Guillaume Gallienne, Félix Moati, and Vincent Macaigne.

It’s Not a Wes Anderson Movie Without Robert Yeoman

Wes Anderson’s most important creative collaborator is Robert Yeoman, the cinematographer who has been working with the director since “Bottle Rocket.” Anderson often gets all of the credit for crafting such a singular cinematic visual style, but it would not be possible if it weren’t for Yeoman. Aside from Anderson’s stop-motion movies “Fantastic Mr. Fox” and “Isle of Dogs,” Yeoman has served as cinematographer on every Wes Anderson movie. For his work on “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Yeoman earned an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography. Somehow that is Yeoman’s only Academy Award nomination for an Anderson movie. 

“So many times he would say to me, ‘Oh, this is the kind of shot I’m looking for,’ and I’ll think to myself, ‘How am I going to do that?’ and it’s impossible!” Yeoman once told The Telegraph about working with Anderson. “But we always find a way of doing it, and that’s a big part of working with him — we always find a way of pulling it off.”

Somehow Mark Mothersbaugh Songs Are Involved

French publication Premiere reported in September 2018 that Anderson was reuniting with Devo co-founder Mark Mothersbaugh for the new movie. The rumor that Anderson was working on a France-set musical was raging at the time, leading many to assume Mothersbaugh was writing the original lyrics. The musical is not happening, but original music from Mothersbaugh is reportedly still on the table.

Anderson fans should easily recognize the name Mark Mothersbaugh. The musician was Anderson’s longtime film composer and contributed the scores to the director’s 1996 directorial debut “Bottle Rocket,” “Rushmore,” “The Royal Tenenbums,” and “The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou.” The two have not worked together since 2004’s “Zissou,” which makes “The French Dispatch” their first feature together in 15 years. In addition to working with Anderson, Mothersbaugh is also known for working on the scores to “Thirteen,” “21 Jump Street,” and “Thor: Ragnarok.”

Alexandre Desplat Returns

French film composer Alexandre Desplat has become one of Anderson’s most beloved collaborators since their partnership kicked off with “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” Right off the bat Desplat earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score thanks to his work with Anderson, an accomplishment that would be repeated with his music for “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Isle of Dogs.” Desplat’s “Grand Budapest” hotel score won the Academy Award. Given the setting of “The French Dispatch,” it’s only fitting Desplat is reuniting with Anderson to compose the score.

“I must say, music in Wes’s films is crucial,” Anderson told Vulture about their partnership. “It’s really part of the DNA of the film. What melodies belong to what characters is also an aspect of his music, and captures the aspect of his films so beautifully…Wes gives me a lot of liberty for me to be experimental. He lets me explore and I try to surprise him with ideas. We send ideas back and forth and we’re really excited about what we’re doing. It’s a very quick and very enjoyable exchange that we have when we work together.”

Andrew Weisblum Is Back For a Fifth Collaboration

Another important Wes Anderson collaborator returning for “The French Dispatch” is editor Andrew Weisblum. After working together for the first time on “The Darjleeing Limited” Weisblum went on to work on “Fantastic Mr. Fox” and then win the Oscar for Best Film Editing for Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan.” Weisblum continued with Anderson on “Moonrise Kingdom” and “Isle of Dogs.” “The French Dispatch” will be the editor’s fifth Anderson project.

“Wes Anderson is very different, but very trusting and collaborative,” Weisblum told Post Magazine about working with the director. “There’s no rule book. It’s what he likes. Once you pick the take, it’s far from over. We look at speed ramps… It doesn’t stop.”

The Oscar-Winning Design Team Returns

Wes Anderson’s production design remains unparalleled in all of cinema, and fans partially have Adam Stockhausen to thank for the the director’s eye-popping sets. The production designer started with Anderson on “Moonrise Kingdom” and continued their collaboration on “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Isle of Dogs.” Stockhausen’s work on “Grand Budapest” won him the Oscar for Best Production Design.

As for the costume design, Anderson is reuniting with his “Moonrise Kingdom” and “Grand Budapest” mastermind Milena Canonero. The costume designer won the Oscar for “Grand Budapest,” her fourth Academy Award for Best Costume Design after “Barry Lyndon,” “Chariots of Fire,” and “Marie Antoinette.”

The French Production

Anderson kicked off principal photography on “The French Dispatch” in November 2018 and wrapped by March 2019. The movie was shot in the French city of Angoulême. “It’s quiet here,” Anderson told press earlier this year about choosing the production location, “so it’s ideal for making a movie.” Anderson lives in Paris, but “The French Dispatch” is the first movie he’s ever filmed and set in France. Angoulême is located in southwestern France and is the capital of the country’s Charente department.

When Is It Coming Out?

One of the biggest questions Wes Anderson fans have about “The French Dispatch” is when the movie will be released. No U.S. distributor for “The French Dispatch” has been officially announced, although it’s widely speculated the movie is a Fox Searchlight Pictures release. “The Darjeeling Limited,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” and “Isle of Dogs” were all released by Fox Searchlight, while “Fantastic Mr. Fox was distributed by parent company 20th Century Fox. Now that Disney owns Fox, a Fox Searchlight release for “The French Dispatch” would make it Anderson’s first Disney film since “The Life Aquatic.” 

The movie is not on the calendar for 2019, which means a 2020 release is most likely. Several of Anderson’s last films have debuted in March following premieres at the Berlin Film Festival in February. Many expect “The French Dispatch” to follow suit, although Anderson teased a 2019 date isn’t entirely out of the question. 

“I do not know the release date,” Anderson told French publication Charente Libre. “I never know, but I feel [it] could be ready before the end of the year.”