Star-studded Asteroid City sees Wes Anderson takes on aliens and the West

Wes Anderson's dazzling cinematic universe is expanding, with its latest feature takes on aliens and the West.

Asteroid City, the American director's new film, is preparing to fly into Hong Kong cinemas, with an all-star cast led by the likes of Scarlett Johansson and Tom Hanks.

It's the 11th film of Anderson's illustrious career so far, and his first since 2021's The French Dispatch, an ode to journalism set in 1970s France. The writer-director has kept busy since then, working on both Asteroid City and a Netflix adaption of Roald Dahl's The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.

Asteroid City is an American romantic comedy-drama with a sci-fi twist. The film is written and directed by Anderson, alongside his long-time collaborator Roman Coppola, while Anderson also produces alongside Steven Rales and Jeremy Dawson. 

Asteroid City takes place in a fictional American desert town circa 1955, telling the story of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention - organized to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition, which its itinerary is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.

Apart from Scarlett Johansson and Tom Hanks, the Anderson film is littered with A-list stars, including his lucky charms Jason Schwartzman and Adrien Brody, as well as frequent collaborators like Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Liev Schreiber and Bryan Cranston. Other big names such as Maya Hawke, Margot Robbie, Steve Carell and Sophia Lillis also signed on to the film.

Asteroid City will be released in theaters on June 22, 2023.

Directed by: Wes Anderson
Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Tilda Swinton, Margot Robbie, Adrien Brody, Bill Murray, Jeffrey Wright, Bryan Cranston, Liev Schreiber, Matt Dillon, Edward Norton, Willem Dafoe, Hong Chau, Steve Carell, Maya Hawke, Jeff Goldblum, Sophia Lillis, Rupert Friend, Rita Wilson
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Running Time: 105 mins
Rating: IIB             
Distributed by: Universal Pictures (Hong Kong) Ltd.