Wes Anderson’s Next Movie is Apparently a Musical Set in 1940s France

Wes Anderson's next movie

Following this year’s middling (and arguably problematic) Isle of Dogs, writer/director Wes Anderson is looking to ratchet up the whimsy for his newest project and tackle something he’s never done before: a full-fledged musical.

A new report indicates that Anderson’s upcoming film, which is still untitled, is going to be a musical that takes place in post-WWII France. Read more about Wes Anderson’s next movie below.

Over the past few days, rumors have spread indicating that Anderson’s next film will be set in the French town of Angoulême, and now a French outlet called Charente Libre (via The Playlist) reports that Anderson intends for the project to be a musical. It will be fascinating to see if the film leans heavily on its location for story inspiration, and if Anderson learned anything about incorporating cultural influences into his movies in the wake of the reaction to Isle of Dogs.

The report also says that location scouting has begun, with “contacts [being] made locally to look for houses” that would appear in the movie. That means this will mark a return to live-action for Anderson, who is coming off of the stop-motion Isle of Dogs. The plot of this musical remains a mystery, but considering the 1940s time period, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the director make his own version of a sweeping post-war love story.

Anderson has worked with 20th Century Fox, Focus Features, and Fox Searchlight over the past decade, and we’re not sure which of them will distribute this new movie yet – or if another contender may emerge to switch things up. There are also some conflicting reports about when filming is supposed to begin. Early word suggested cameras wouldn’t roll until February 2019, but Charente Libre says shooting could start as early as November or December of this year.

Either way, that doesn’t give Frances McDormand much time to practice what I assume will be a big emotional song and dance number. I mean, there’s technically no guarantee that she’s going to be in the movie, but unless Anderson suddenly decides to drastically break from his traditions, we can guess a majority of the actors who will likely fill out this cast.

In the meantime, check out this brief musical number from this year’s Paddington 2 as a stylistic forebear (get it? fore-“bear”? because it’s Paddington!) of what could be in store for us in Wes Anderson’s next movie: