Still basking in the glow of critical acclaim garnered by Moonrise Kingdom , Wes Anderson is already making plans for his next project, with Johnny Depp the latest A-lister set to join the director's troupe of talent.
According to Deadline , Depp has signed on to star in The Grand Budapest Hotel , which will see Anderson shoot on location in Europe for the very first time. No specifics have emerged regarding Depp's character, while plot details are similarly non-existent at this early stage.
It's an appointment that backs up Anderson's claim as to his casting ambitions for the new project, with the director having stated that he's got an ensemble in mind that will include Depp, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Ed Norton, Jeff Goldblum, Jude Law, Willem Dafoe, Adrien Brody and, er, Angela Lansbury!
If he can manage to bring that little lot together, we could be in for something truly special. With Depp already secured, Law and Lansbury would be the only two never to have appeared in an Anderson film. With the rest all having worked with him at one time or another, perhaps this dream cast isn't so outlandish a proposition after all…
As for Depp, we'll be keen to see what Anderson can draw out of him, performance-wise. We all know Johnny can do "quirky", but it will be refreshing to see somebody other than Tim Burton steering him in that kind of role. No release date has been set as yet, but with a lead now secured, we can expect further casting announcements in the days and weeks to come.
