Tom Hanks Confirmed for Role in Wes Anderson's Next Whimsical Film

Tom Hanks is finally going to star in a Wes Anderson movie. The Grand Budapest Hotel filmmaker has already cast three of his regular stars in the project, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, and Bill Murray. Those three actors also star in Anderson's next movie, The French Dispatch, which will finally be released in theaters on Oct. 22.

It's unclear what role Hanks will have in the new Anderson movie, as plot details are completely under wraps. Sources told The Hollywood Reporter it is a small part and could turn out to be just a cameo. It is the first time Hanks will star in an Anderson film. The new movie is expected to be filmed in Spain, with Anderson writing and directing.

Although the film will be shot in Spain, Swinton told Variety last month that the movie is "not about Spain." Anderson added that he is "not ready to share any details" about the project. He was supposed to start filming in Rome, but the production was relocated to Spain this year. Sets have reportedly been built in Chinchon, a small town southeast of Madrid, according to El Pais.

Anderson's The French Dispatch premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival earlier this month. It was scheduled to play there last year, but the 2020 festival was canceled due to the pandemic. Like all of Anderson's films, The French Dispatch features a large all-star cast that includes Brody, Swinton, Murray, Benicio del Toro, Lea Seydoux, Frances McDormand, Timothee Chalamet, Jeffrey Wright, Owen Wilson, and Anjelica Houston. Anderson is a seven-time Oscar-nominee whose previous films include The Royal Tenenbaums, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs, and Rushmore.

As for Hanks, he was last seen in Paul Greengrass' Oscar-nominated film News of the World. He recently finished the science-fiction drama Finch, which will be released on Apple TV+ later this year. He also stars in Elvis, the upcoming Elvis Presley biopic by Baz Luhrmann, featuring Hanks as colonel Tom Parker and Austin Butler as Presley. Hanks was cast as Gepetto in Robert Zemeckis' upcoming live-action Pinocchio film for Disney.