The release of Wes Anderson‘s next film, The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun, has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The film was slated to arrive on July 24, but as cinemas shutter worldwide in government mandated lockdowns, it will now hit theatres on October 16.
The beloved auteur’s follow-up to 2018’s Isle of Dogs is set to star Benicio Del Toro, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Timothée Chalamet, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand and more. The film is both written and directed by Anderson.
A short synopsis for The French Dispatch promises the movie will “bring to life a collection of stories from the final issue of an American magazine published in a fictional 20th-century French city”. Anderson has described it in the press as his “love letter to journalists”, and is billing it as anthology film — the first of the kind he has ever made.
Variety reported in January The French Dispatch had a budget of $25 million USD, making it one of the most expensive live action films he has ever produced.
It had previously been thought the film would premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in May 12-23, however the festival’s future is in doubt amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Festival organisers have postponed the festival indefinitely, with hopes reportedly set on new dates in late June or early July. The prestigious event has never been cancelled.
