The Cannes Film Festival is used to stars, but when it comes to celebrity power, you can’t match a Wes Anderson film.
And so it was Tuesday night with the world premiere of Anderson’s latest film, city of asteroidswhich features a massive cast of A-listers – Tom Hanks, Steve Carell, Scarlett Johansson, Hong Chau, Margot Robbie, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, Adrien Brody and more.
Hanks, Carell, Johansson, Schwartzman, Cranston, Wright and Brody were among those in attendance at Cannes, where Anderson and his cast arrived in droves by bus instead of the usual limos.
However, not everyone made it to Cannes, which was a blessing in disguise since the famous red-carpeted staircases would barely have contained them all. But those who made the trip provided many times the star power of any other film screened here this year.
The stars were a gift to the paparazzi at the festival, as well as the crowds of moviegoers who had waited hours to be able to shout and take selfies.
city of asteroids is set in 1955 and centers on a group of students and parents from across the country who gather in a fictional small desert town (pop. 87) in the American Southwest for the annual Junior Stargazers convention held in the basin of a huge meteorite crater. These astronomy geeks don’t realize they’re about to witness a world-changing event.
Anderson is a Cannes regular. He was here two years ago with The French Dispatch and in 2012 with Moonrise Kingdomboth in competition (as is city of asteroids). Until now, he has always returned from the Croisette empty-handed. But maybe the third time is the charm.
After his first Cannes, city of asteroids is rolling out in the US on June 23 via Focus.