Is 2023 the year of the director? We are privileged to have films from Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve, M. Night Shymalan, George Miller, and two from the brain of Wes Anderson. The big one that everyone’s been following is his upcoming film Asteroid City. It’s set to be put out on a limited release on June 16th and then as a wide release on June 23rd.
What’s made the hype so large around Asteroid City is the massive cast. It features recurring Wes Anderson performers such as Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, Bryan Cranston, Jeff Goldblum, Willem Dafoe, and Ed Norton. Then, there are the new faces that have never been in a Wes Anderson film. Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Margot Robbie, Hong Chau, and Steve Carrel are all making their Wes Anderson debuts. While that’s going to be a great movie, that’s not why I’m here.
Wes Anderson’s other 2023 release is The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. It has been announced that this flick will be coming out at some point in 2023 on Netflix, but there isn’t a set release date. I imagine Anderson will try to break the year up a little bit. He has Asteroid City hitting theaters in mid-June and I wouldn’t be shocked to see The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar come out in later November, or early December.
What Is The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar?
There’s been a lot of speculation about the premise of The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. I’m here to try to add some clarity, but I’m still trying to figure it out. The Letterboxd description is “An anthology film based on Roald Dahl’s “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More” short story collection.” Wikipedia adds a little different information. It states “The film is divided into three chapters. The character of Henry Sugar will serve as a connective thread through each one.” I like the idea of multiple chapters/sections. My personal favorite Wes Anderson movie is The French Dispatch and that’s divided up into five different stories revolving around a fictional newspaper.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More is a collection of seven short stories written by British novelist Roald Dahl. One of the seven stories in this series is The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. That’s what the film will be based on, but from the description that says “The character of Henry Sugar will serve as a connective thread through each one” makes me believe that other short stories in the series will be used. Could Henry Sugar connect Lucky Break and The Swan? Maybe we’ll see a link between A Piece of Cake and The Hitch-Hiker. Who knows? What I know is I’m fired up for a double dosage of Wes Anderson.
The Cast
While Asteroid City features a massive cast of recurring faces and new performers in the pantheon of Wes Anderson, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar has a small cast. Benedict Cumberbatch is making his first performance in a Wes Anderson film. He’s billed first and is starring as Henry Sugar. This film will also feature Ralph Fiennes and Dev Patel, who both bring a dynamic range to the table. Ralph Fiennes previously starred in Anderson’s 2014 film, The Grand Budapest Hotel. It’s one of his best performances to date and proved that Ralph Fiennes is the perfect fit in a Wes Anderson universe. He’s also finished off his 2022 strong starring in the dark satire/thriller The Menu. Meanwhile, like Cumberbatch, Dev Patel will also be working with Wes Anderson for the first time. While he’s known for his serious work in films like Slumdog Millionaire, Lion, and The Green Knight, his performance in The Personal History of David Copperfield makes me think that he will fit in perfectly on a Wes Anderson set.
Fourth billed is the legendary Ben Kingsley. Kingsley has been a staple in film for five decades when he starred in Ghandi in 1982. He’s also played instrumental parts in Shutter Island, Hugo, Schindler’s List, and Rules of Engagement. For Rupert Friend, he’ll be appearing in his third Wes Anderson film. Friend was in The French Dispatch in 2021 and will also be in Asteroid City this year. The only other actor that’s been announced is Richard Ayoade. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar will be Ayoade’s first Wes Anderson film. In the past, he’s had parts in Paddington 2, Soul, and The Watch. This is a very exciting cast and premise that only a director as creative as Anderson can pull off.
The Anticipation
While I do think Asteroid City will swallow The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar storyline in 2023, I’m equally excited for both. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar has the feel that it could be a cult classic in the world of Wes Anderson like Bottle Rocket. Bottle Rockets is a good film, but it’s never the first one thought of when Anderson is mentioned. And the crowd that loves Bottle Rocket will let you know that they love Bottle Rocket.
Something that’s intriguing about Anderson in 2023 is the potential style of his films. It’s rumored that in both The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Asteroid City, there will be a substantial amount of stop motion. Anderson has proven he’s a master of that style with The Fantastic Mr. Fox and Isle of Dogs. This news just adds a deeper level of excitement to both upcoming flicks. 2023 is shaping up to be an awesome year in film and top 2022.