Duration: 0:00

28 views

0

This video description is sourced from Wikipedia

The Phoenician Scheme is a 2025 espionage dark comedy film produced, written and directed by Wes Anderson from a story he conceived with Roman Coppola.[4] The film features an ensemble cast that includes Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Mathieu Amalric, Richard Ayoade, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis, F. Murray Abraham, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Willem Dafoe, and Bill Murray. It was produced internationally between the United States and Germany by Anderson's company American Empirical Pictures and Steven Rales's company Indian Paintbrush.

Anderson talked about the film in June 2023 while promoting Asteroid City; he said it had already been written before the 2023 WGA strike began. That September, he revealed that del Toro and Cera were planned to join the cast, and he hoped to begin filming soon after the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike ended. The rest of the cast signed on between January and June 2024. Filming took place at Babelsberg Studio in Germany, between March and June 2024, with cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel. Frequent Anderson collaborator Alexandre Desplat returned to compose the score.

The Phoenician Scheme had its world premiere in the main competition of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2025,[5] and was released theatrically in Germany by Universal Pictures on May 29, 2025, and in the United States by Focus Features on May 30, 2025. The film received generally positive reviews.

Cast
Benicio del Toro as Anatole "Zsa-Zsa" Korda, a ruthless yet charismatic business tycoon, inspired in part by Armenian oil magnate Calouste Gulbenkian.[6][7]
Mia Threapleton as Sister Liesl, Korda's daughter and a nun.
Michael Cera as Bjørn Lund, a Norwegian entomologist, tutor, and Korda's administrative assistant.
Riz Ahmed as Prince Farouk, the crown prince of Phoenicia.
Tom Hanks as Leland, a mistrustful Korda investor from Sacramento.
Bryan Cranston as Reagan, Leland's grouchy brother and business partner.
Mathieu Amalric as Marseille Bob, a gangster, nightclub owner, and Korda investor.
Richard Ayoade as Sergio, a revolutionary guerilla.
Jeffrey Wright as Marty, a Korda investor from Newark.
Scarlett Johansson as Cousin Hilda Sussman-Korda, Korda's second cousin and prospective wife.
Benedict Cumberbatch as Uncle Nubar, Korda's estranged half-brother.
Rupert Friend as Excalibur, a government agent charged with destroying Korda's business empire.
Hope Davis as Mother Superior, Liesl's boss at the convent.
Bill Murray as God.
Charlotte Gainsbourg as Korda's first wife.
Willem Dafoe as Knave, Korda's heavenly defense attorney.
F. Murray Abraham as Prophet[8].
Stephen Park as Korda's pilot.
Alex Jennings as Broadcloth, Korda's butler.
Jason Watkins as Notary, Korda's attorney.
Donald Sumpter as Chairman
Scott Shepherd as Field Reporter
Karl Markovics as Hermit
Tonio Arango as Assassin #1 (Desert), who tries to kill Korda in Phoenicia.
Stéphane Bak as Radical Freedom Militia Corps 1
Aysha Joy Samuel as Radical Freedom Militia Corps 2
Mohamed Chahrour as Marseille Bob's Bodyguard
Imke Büchel as Governess
Anna Bardorf as Governess
Imad Mardnli as Farouk's Bodyguard
Jaime Ferkic as Chauffeur
Beatrice Campbell as Young Liesl

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 78% of 176 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "A caper made with all the intricacy of a Rube Goldberg machine, The Phoenician Scheme doesn't deviate from Wes Anderson's increasingly ornate style but delivers the formula with mannered delicacy."[41] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 69 out of 100, based on 46 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[42] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B-" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it an 81% positive score, with 62% saying they would definitely recommend it.[43][44]

Tim Grierson of ScreenDaily wrote that while the film "is transporting", "the narrative proves to be fussy rather than delightful."[45]

William Bibbiani of TheWrap declared the film "a serious work of art that plays like a boondoggle."[46]

Davide Abbatescianni of Cineuropa billed it "another elegant yet forgettable chapter in Anderson's filmography," which "ticks the boxes of visual and narrative quirkiness without delivering any substance."