Based on the film ‘L’Emploi Du Temps’ by Laurent Cantet and Robin Campillo, the pic follows Vincent (Sandler), who after being fired from his job can’t bring himself to tell his wife and family.
Rather than reveal the truth, he spins a web of lies to conceal his situation. He escalates his lies further when he creates an investment scheme and asks friends to contribute, and the deception threatens to overwhelm his life and his family.
‘Time Out’: the director talks
Here’s Cooper on why he decided to tackle the remake:
“I first encountered Laurent Cantet’s film in 2001, and it’s lived with me ever since. I’ve been thinking about revisiting it for years, but now felt like the right moment — we’re living in a time where questions of identity, work, and self-worth have become impossible to ignore.”
Scott Cooper attends the UK Premiere of 20th Century Studios’ ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere’ during the 69th BFI London Film Festival at Royal Festival Hall, London on October 15th, 2025. Photo by StillMoving.Net for The Walt Disney Company Limited.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Joe Keery about his work on ‘Finally Dawn’, how he got the role, learning Italian, shooting at Cinecittà Studios, working with Willem Dafoe, and collaborating with director Saverio Costanzo, as well as shooting the final season of ‘Stranger Things’ and his memories of working on the series.
(L to R) Joe Keery and Lily James in ‘Finally Dawn’. Photo: 01 Distribution.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about the audition process and how you got cast in the film?
Joe Keery: I don’t really know the history of the movie before me. Saverio had maybe thought of me for the job and there was a conflict. So, I didn’t even see it. They sort of passed on me, maybe just due to scheduling stuff. I think maybe because of the show (‘Stranger Things’). Then something changed, and I freed up after they were looking for somebody for a while. I read it, and thought it was fantastic. It was an easy “yes” for me. Saverio’s other work is beautiful. The script was amazing. And shooting in Rome, what an amazing opportunity.
MF: How was your Italian before making the film and was it difficult learning the language for this role?
JK: Yeah, I was working a little overtime in that regard. It’s funny. My sister lived in Rome at this time. She ended up working on the film as well. So, the two of us were doing a little Duolingo between us. She was good though. I had some work to do, but she was good. I picked up some stuff though.
Joe Keery and Lily James in ‘Finally Dawn’. Photo: 01 Distribution.
MF: What was it like collaborating with director Saverio Costanzo on set?
JK: Great. I mean, he’s got a lot of trust, I think, in his actors. But he also isn’t afraid to challenge you, I think. It’s always like there’s a cross section between the way that you see a character and maybe the director sees the character. Sometimes it’s good if that Venn diagram is really connected, but sometimes it’s also good if it’s not. I’d say we were kind of right in the middle where we were kind of both pushing each other in interesting ways and taking the character. He also just made some changes once I kind of came around. I think we both talked about the character and adjusted it as the movie was happening. That’s one of his strengths, I think, is that he’s able to take the different inputs and shape them to what will best fit the film. I think he did that across the board. He’s such a great guy to work with. It was an enjoyable experience on set.
MF: You play an actor in the film and when we first meet him, he is playing another character in the movie within the movie. What was it like playing a character that is playing another character?
JK: You know, I kind of tried to not honestly think too hard about it, I guess. You go down the rabbit hole of thinking about all this different stuff. Then at a certain point you’re like, “Well, now it’s time to actually do it.” So, you just sort of put all your work aside and kind of get into it. But I really liked that dynamic within the movie. The meta dynamic of kind of bouncing in between what is real, what’s a movie, and what’s going on. That was exciting for me personally.
Rachel Sennott in ‘Finally Dawn’. Photo: 01 Distribution.
MF: You also got to shoot at Cinecittà Studios in Italy where some legendary films were made. What was that experience like for you?
JK: Absolutely. I think shooting at Cinecittà was great because some of the reference movies that I watched beforehand, they were filmed on the back lot there. That’s where they did these things. So, the fact that we’re paying homage to that period, and we are making a movie about it, it’s just perfect. I think everybody on set was just sort of blown away by that. Then, also we were shooting on the Spanish Steps. That’s ridiculous. I’m not in that scene when she’s walking down the steps. But one of my first days on that film was, it was the night shot at the beginning of the movie when we’re coming down the steps. You know, it’s World War II. Then as the sun was rising, we switch over and we do Rebecca’s thing at the end of the movie, so we stuck around. Just watching Rebecca come down those stairs, and it’s totally empty, and the city’s waking up, and there’s no tourists. I mean, it was incredible. Nobody gets that experience. You really don’t get to experience that unless you’re very lucky.
MF: Just to follow up, what were some of the films you watched for inspiration before shooting this movie?
JK: Obviously, I think there’s a fair amount of ‘8 ½’ in this film. ‘Ben Hur’ and ‘Cleopatra’ were too. I know I’ve watched the film ‘Cleopatra’, just based on that big old scene that we do with me and Lily, and Hafþór (Júlíus Björnsson) and stuff. Those are the three that come to mind off the top of my head.
Willem Dafoe in ‘Finally Dawn’. Photo: 01 Distribution.
MF: What was it like working with actress Rebecca Antonaci?
JK: I mean, I think she’s extremely talented. Working with her on set, I feel like there’s so much of the movie where she has no dialogue. But she, for me, was the most captivating part of the film, just to watch her experience this world and the emotions that she’s able to convey just through one look. It’s unbelievable. She’s extremely talented. I can’t wait to see what she does next.
MF: Were you intimidated to work opposite the great Willem Dafoe?
JK: Yeah, definitely. I mean, he is like singular. He’s one of the great working actors, I’d say. It’s very clear to me. I think he’s just like a lover of acting. To me, it just seems like he really loves what he does, and he’s very passionate about it, and cares very deeply, and doesn’t take himself too seriously. We were all making this movie together. There’s no “holier than thou” thing going on. He’s just a real person. So, it makes a lot of sense to me why he’s had the career that he’s had.
MF: Finally, ‘Stranger Things’ will be ending soon. What was it like filming the final season and what memories will you take with you from working on the show?
JK: Well, for the whole thing? I mean, I don’t think I can pick a favorite single memory. There are a lot of great working memories in all these amazing sequences that we got to film. The end of season 1 sticks out. The underwater stuff sticks out to me in season 4. Working in the mall. But then, mostly I’ll just remember the amount of time that I spent with all these people and the deep connection that we have. Yeah, that’s really what I’m going to take away more than anything else, is that.
Editorial Note: James White conducted this interview and contributed to this article.
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What is the plot of ‘Finally Dawn’?
A young Roman woman (Lily James) during the 1950s is on the verge of becoming engaged to a man. She goes to Cinecittà to do an audition as an extra and is thrust into this almost infinite night during which she discovers herself.
Details remain scarce on this one since Eggers has yet to reveal much, but he wrote ‘Werwulf’ with Sjón, who co-wrote violent Viking saga ‘The Northman’ with the filmmaker.
‘Werwulf is’ described as a werewolf horror film set in 13th century England and is set to feature Old English dialogue.
Taylor-Johnson is reportedly set to play the titular werewolf, with Depp as his wife. The script reportedly features elements of witchcraft and is described as one of Eggers’ goriest projects to date. While the director at one point was considering shooting the film in black and white, he has now apparently dropped that idea.
The cameras are expected to begin rolling this September.
Aboard to produce are Christopher Columbus –– yes, the ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Home Alone’ director –– and his daughter Eleanor, who through their company Maiden Voyage Pictures, have been partnering with Eggers since his first film and were involved with shepherding ‘Nosferatu’ to screens.
Since Eggers and Focus saw such success with the seemingly strange Christmas Day release slot for ‘Nosferatu’ last year, they’re trying again, with ‘Werwulf’ targeting December 25th, 2026 as the date on which it will look to terrify audiences. Hairy Christmas!
(Left) ‘Nosferatu’ director Robert Eggers. (Right) Michael Caine and the Muppets in ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
Preview:
Robert Eggers has his eye on ‘A Christmas Carol.’
He’s aiming to have Willem Dafoe play iconic miser Scrooge.
The movie is in development at Warner Bros.
Writer/director Robert Eggers delivered a very different sort of festive treat last year with vampire tale ‘Nosferatu’, which was released on Christmas Day, and has since gone on to be his biggest success so far, earning plenty of critical praise and Oscar nominations, plus $181 million worldwide at the box office, including $95 million domestically.
And from the sound of a report by Deadline, he’s looking to stay in a festive mood, with a future plan to go where hundreds of filmmakers have gone before. No, not ‘Star Trek,’ but an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic story ‘A Christmas Carol.’
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It’s early days for this one, which is in development at Warner Brothers (somewhat surprising given that much of Eggers’ prior output has been for Universal arm Focus Features), and little word on what his plan is to make the story his own, but Deadline mentions a less-than-shocking early casting choice.
While no official offers have gone out, it appears Eggers is ready to work again with Willem Dafoe, who has appeared in every one of the director’s movies since ‘The Lighthouse.’ If Eggers has his way, Dafoe will play Scrooge, the central figure of ‘Christmas Carol’ (more on that below).
1992’s ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol.’ Photo: Walt Disney Pictures.
If you haven’t heard of ‘A Christmas Carol,’ we can only assume you’ve somehow been buried beneath a fallen festive tree.
Dickens’ novella was first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech.
It’s the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a man whose life has led to him becoming an elderly miser with no time for Christmas traditions or even much human empathy.
A shrewd businessman, he thrives on evicting tenants from the properties he owns and keeps his clerk, Bob Cratchit, working in poverty and cold conditions.
One Christmas Eve, he’s visited by the specter of his dead business partner, Jacob Marley, who warns him that he must change his ways, lest he suffer the same fate as Marley: condemned to wander the world as a spirit, wrapped in chains and heavy, ghostly cash boxes.
Marley has organized a redemptive chance for Scrooge –– he’ll encounter three further spirits, representing Christmas Past, Present and Future, all of whom show him visions intended to teach him the lessons of Christmas.
Scrooge scoffs at the idea, but on his journey with the three ghosts, he sees where his life choices have led him, his negative impact on the world now, and what that might mean going forward.
Spoiler alert! He’s terrified and chastened, resolving to do better in future, and indeed becomes, in Dickens’ words, “as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world.”
Dickens’ work is a moral fable, at once embracing the Christmas traditions (carols, cards and more) that were becoming popular at the time, and helping to spread them further.
It has been adapted countless times for screens both big and small, including famous versions such as a 1951 movie starring Alastair Sim, a 1984 TV movie with George C. Scott, and Robert Zemeckis’ 2009 performance capture CG take, in which Jim Carrey plays Scrooge and a variety of other characters.
What Eggers has planned remains to be seen, though we’d hazard a guess at fewer singing vegetables and more of a mood along the likes of the dark 2019 TV adaptation from Steven Knight, with Guy Pearce playing Scrooge.
Dafoe feels like a solid choice for Scrooge, but will the director maintain another recent tradition and hire a Skarsgård for a role? There are plenty of others in the family waiting in the wings after Alexander appeared in ‘The Northman’ and Bill buried himself under prosthetics for ‘Nosferatu.’
Eggers has been juggling a few projects, but it appears that ‘Werwulf’ is at the front of the line. We don’t know much about the movie, but the title certainly points to some hairy, howling horror.
Elsewhere, he’s got a few other movies bubbling away.
“[Medieval movie ‘The Knight’ is] on a shelf with a lot of screenplays. I have five things going on, because you never know what’s going to work, what’s going to appeal to people, what’s going to be greenlit. This movie [‘Nosferatu’] was not greenlit three times. I absolutely thought I was making a movie that has not gotten greenlit twice instead of this, so you never know. You’ve got to have a lot of stuff going on.”
There is also a sequel to 1986 fantasy adventure ‘Labyrinth’, which is still floating around somewhere.
When would Robert Eggers’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ haunt theaters?
This is the first anyone has heard of Eggers’ plan to adapt the Christmas tale, and with ‘Werwulf’ most likely the next project for the filmmaker to shoot, we’re expecting to wait at least a couple of years for ‘A Christmas Carol’ to find screens –– assuming it doesn’t get leapfrogged by another project.
Right now, ‘Werwulf’ is scheduled for release in the ‘Nosferatu’ slot, which is to say December 25th, in 2026.
(L to R) Alexander Skarsgard, Nicole Kidman, director Robert Eggers, Willem Dafoe, and Anya Taylor-Joy at the Los Angeles premiere of ‘The Northman.’
In honor of Anderson’s new movie, ‘The Phoenician Scheme‘, which opens in select theaters on May 30th before opening wide on June 6th, Moviefone is counting down every film of Wes Anderson’s impressive career, including his latest.
Four tales unfold in Wes Anderson’s anthology of short films adapted from Roald Dahl‘s beloved stories, “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar”, “The Swan”, “The Rat Catcher”, and “Poison”.
(L to R) Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody and Owen Wilson in ‘The Darjeeling Limited’. Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Three American brothers (Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman) who have not spoken to each other in a year set off on a train voyage across India with a plan to find themselves and bond with each other — to become brothers again like they used to be. Their “spiritual quest”, however, veers rapidly off-course (due to events involving over-the-counter pain killers, Indian cough syrup, and pepper spray).
(L to R) Luke Wilson and Owen Wilson in ‘Bottle Rocket’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Upon his release from a mental hospital following a nervous breakdown, the directionless Anthony (Luke Wilson) joins his friend Dignan (Owen Wilson), who seems far less sane than the former. Dignan has hatched a hair-brained scheme for an as-yet-unspecified crime spree that somehow involves his former boss, the (supposedly) legendary Mr. Henry (James Caan).
The cast of ‘The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou’. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
Renowned oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) has sworn vengeance upon the rare shark that devoured a member of his crew. In addition to his regular team, he is joined on his boat by Ned (Owen Wilson), a man who believes Zissou to be his father, and Jane (Cate Blanchett), a journalist pregnant by a married man. They travel the sea, all too often running into pirates and, perhaps more traumatically, various figures from Zissou’s past, including his estranged wife, Eleanor (Anjelica Huston).
(L to R) Jake Ryan, Jason Schwartzman and Tom Hanks in director Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features.
The itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention (organized to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition) is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.
A scene from ‘Isle of Dogs’. Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
In the future, an outbreak of canine flu leads the mayor of a Japanese city to banish all dogs to an island that’s a garbage dump. The outcasts must soon embark on an epic journey when a 12-year-old boy (Koyu Rankin) arrives on the island to find his beloved pet.
(L to R) Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman in ‘Rushmore’. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
When a beautiful first-grade teacher (Olivia Williams) arrives at a prep school, she soon attracts the attention of an ambitious teenager named Max (Jason Schwartzman), who quickly falls in love with her. Max turns to the father (Bill Murray) of two of his schoolmates for advice on how to woo the teacher. However, the situation soon gets complicated when Max’s new friend becomes involved with her, setting the two pals against one another in a war for her attention.
(L to R) Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Bruce Willis and Edward Norton in ‘Moonrise Kingdom’. Photo: Focus Features.
Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, Moonrise Kingdom tells the story of two twelve-year-olds (Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward) who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore – and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle.
Ralph Fiennes stars in ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’. Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
The Grand Budapest Hotel tells of a legendary concierge (Ralph Fiennes) at a famous European hotel between the wars and his friendship with a young employee (Tony Revolori) who becomes his trusted protégé. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting, the battle for an enormous family fortune and the slow and then sudden upheavals that transformed Europe during the first half of the 20th century.
George Clooney as Mr. Fox in ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
The Fantastic Mr. Fox (George Clooney) bored with his current life, plans a heist against the three local farmers (Michael Gambon, Robin Hurlstone, and Hugo Guinness). The farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with the sly fox, seek revenge against him and his family.
(L to R) Bencio del Toro and Léa Seydoux in ‘The French Dispatch’. Photo: Searchlight Pictures.
The staff of an American magazine based in France puts out its last issue, with stories featuring an artist sentenced to life imprisonment, student riots, and a kidnapping resolved by a chef.
The cast of ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) and his wife Etheline (Anjelica Huston) had three children (Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Luke Wilson) and then they separated. All three children are extraordinary — all geniuses. Virtually all memory of the brilliance of the young Tenenbaums was subsequently erased by two decades of betrayal, failure, and disaster. Most of this was generally considered to be their father’s fault. “The Royal Tenenbaums” is the story of the family’s sudden, unexpected reunion one recent winter.
(L to R) Benicio Del Toro, Mia Threapleton and Michael Cera star in ‘The Phoenician Scheme’.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Benicio del Toro, Michael Cera and Mia Threapleton about their work on ‘The Phoenician Scheme’. Del Toro discussed his experience reuniting with director Wes Anderson and what he enjoys about working with him, while Cera talked about what it was like to join Wes Anderson’s company of actors and explore the unique worlds he creates on screen, and Threapleton discussed her character’s estranged relationship with her father and why she accompanies him on his journey.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews.
Moviefone: To begin with, Benicio, can you talk about reuniting with director Wes Anderson after ‘The French Dispatch’ and what do you enjoy about working with him?
Benicio del Toro: Well, I enjoy everything, especially the final product. But the character for ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ is a much more challenging character, full of contradictions, with a hell of an arc that it required a lot of motivation to say the least. It kept me up at night, put it that way, to make sure that I deliver what needs to be delivered day in, day out. But I think that Wes’s foundation as a filmmaker, aside from the fact of the visionary he is, also, he’s an incredible writer. He really is. We were talking about this. The script reads like a novel. You could publish it and it would read like a novel. Usually, I get many scripts, I’ve done many movies, and in many of them, I create the backstory of my character. Here, I think you get the backstory of all our characters that have arcs. Michael’s, Mia’s and me, we all have arcs, but we also get the backstory, which it reads like a novel would do that. So, I think that’s the thing that makes Wes’s projects for me so powerful, beyond just a comedy or a beautiful story. Something that his movies always have, is that you can touch them, but the foundation is a story and the writing, and I think that’s really one of his strengths.
MF: Michael, what was it like for you to join Wes Anderson’s company of actors and have an opportunity to explore the unique worlds he creates on screen?
Michael Cera: It’s such a wonderful group to join. Wes just populates his productions with the most amazing people you can think of, and Mia included in that. It’s so much fun to come in. It’s always an exciting thing about jumping into a project that has this caliber of people working on it, and yeah, the worlds are just so much fun. This movie is an anthology in a way where it’s like the three of us are this unit that hop from story to story, and each one of those was brought to life by the various guest players that would come in for that week or two weeks to work on their sequence and inject a whole new energy and atmosphere into the movie. It was just amazing, and it’s great seeing those people show up and bring that character to life in front of your eyes too, and see what they look like suddenly, and sound like.
MF: Finally, Mia, can you talk about Sister Liesl’s estranged relationship with her father and why she decides to help him on his journey?
Mia Threapleton: I think when we meet her, she has her own reasons for agreeing to meet with him, which are not just because she’s been invited, but she has a lot of unanswered, long time burning questions. Because he’s invited her, I think she realizes, “Okay, he wants something from me. Well, I will acquiesce to this, but I can also get him to give me the answers that I want as well.” So, it’s a little bit like a business negotiation initially, and then by the end of that conversation, I think she realizes, “Okay, actually this is a lot larger than I thought that it was going to be, and maybe he can give me more answers over time. Maybe I’ll find out more information.” I think because of her upbringing within a convent, she literally says it. “I forgive you. We’re taught to.” So, I think there is this forgiving side of her, but I also think that she sees that he is very complex and complicated and wants to understand that more. But perhaps that’s one of the many reasons why she decides to stick it out with this rapscallion, if you will.
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What is the plot of ‘The Phoenician Scheme’?
Wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro) appoints his only daughter, a nun (Mia Threapleton), as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists and determined assassins.
After being disappointed by his last outing, ‘Asteroid City’, I’m happy to report that director Wes Anderson has returned to form with ‘The Phoenician Scheme’, which is awkwardly funny and gives off ‘Royal Tenenbaums’ vibes. The movie takes full advantage of Anderson’s unique and quirky humor and is beautiful to look at. Each frame is meticulously designed, and is so breathtaking, it’s like watching at a moving painting.
Benicio del Toro gives a commanding performance as notorious businessman and family patriarch Zsa-zsa Korda, while Mia Threapleton is wonderful in her role as Sister Liesl, Korda’s only daughter and heir to his empire. But its actor Michael Cera that gives one of the best performances of his career as the mysterious Bjørn Lund. Cera is perfectly cast in the role and seems born to be in a Wes Anderson film as his own quirky persona fits the filmmaker’s aesthetic like a glove.
The film begins by introducing us to Zsa-zsa Korda (del Toro), a notorious businessman who has survived several assassination attempts. Fearing that his enemies will eventually be successful, Korda summons his only daughter Liesl (Threapleton) who has recently joined a convent and suspects him of killing her mother. Despite having nine young sons, Korda has chosen Liesl to be his heir and take over his empire. Korda believes that his risky new enterprise, will provide for his family for generations to come.
Korda and Sister Liesl embark on a journey to secure the rest of the funds they’ll need for their venture by visiting acquaintances like Leland (Hanks) and Reagan (Cranston), Marty (Wright), Cousin Hilda (Johansson), and eventually Korda’s brother Uncle Nubar (Cumberbatch), who may be Liesl’s real father. They travel with a mysterious young man named Bjørn Lund (Cera), who becomes Korda’s personal assistant and has feelings for Sister Liesl. Along the way Korda survives several attempted assassinations from an opposing group led by Excalibur (Rupert Friend), each time having a near death experience where he goes to heaven and eventually speaks to God (Murray).
Wes Anderson’s quirky brand of humor is not for everyone, but it is my favorite type of humor. I love absurdly bizarre situations played dead serious, and no one does that better than Anderson. ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ is my favorite of his films, although I really enjoyed the recent ‘The French Dispatch’, and ‘Phoenician Scheme’ is very similar to ‘Tenenbaums’. Both revolve around an eccentric, arrogant, rich patriarch who struggles with being a father and has delusions of grandeur.
Anderson is a unique and singular director. No one else before him or after has ever made a movie that looks like a Wes Anderson film. Everything you see in a Wes Anderson movie was thought out and meticulously placed. Each frame of his movies is like watching a beautiful moving painting. The gorgeous over the head shot of Korda in a bathtub that runs during the opening credits is a perfect example. Congratulations to Anderson and is production design team for their attention to detail, which makes this film and Anderson’s work in general a visual delight.
The three leads completely carry the film including del Toro, Threapleton and Cera. Benicio del Toro, who first worked with Anderson on the criminally underrated ‘The French Dispatch’ fits in to Anderson’s world exceedingly well. Here he is commanding, purposely over-the-top at times, but also measured, playing deadpan at the right moments and he has excellent chemistry with Threapleton.
In fact, Mia Threapleton is a revelation in this film, not surprising as her mother is the iconic Kate Winslet, and obviously the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. She adapts to Anderson’s style and pacing impressively well, and brings heart and humor to the ridiculous situations her character finds herself in.
Michael Cera, who’s dry delivery was on display in ‘Arrested Development’, ‘Superbad’ and ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’, perfectly fits Anderson’s aesthetic as if the actor was born to be in one of the director’s films. As Bjørn Lund he creates a character that is as likable and sympathetic as he is completely ridiculous. And without giving away any spoilers, the actor is also believable in the character’s surprise turn in the third act.
The returning cast of “Wes Anderson Players” were all welcomed, even if most of their roles only amounted to glorified cameos. Bryan Cranston and Tom Hanks are quite funny as the basketball playing Reagan and Leland, respectively. Jeffrey Wright is equally funny as Marty, electing to adopt a very strange characterization.
Scarlett Johansson, marking her third outing with Anderson, shines like an old school movie star and is excellent in her limited role. Playing the pivotal character of Uncle Nubar, Benedict Cumberbatch is fine but perhaps not as intimidating as the role calls for. Richard Ayoade is very funny as revolutionist Sergio, and Anderson mainstay Bill Murray gives a very dry but hilarious performance as God, of course.
While Wes Anderson’s movies might not be for everyone, ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ is one of his better recent films and is reminiscent of perhaps his greatest movie, ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’. Benicio del Toro, Michael Cera, and Mia Threapleton all give excellent performances, surrounded by a marvelous cast of frequent Anderson collaborators. If you like meticulously beautiful and absurdly funny movies, then this one is for you.
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What is the plot of ‘The Phoenician Scheme’?
Wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro) appoints his only daughter, a nun (Mia Threapleton), as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists and determined assassins.
Helena Zengel in ‘The Legend of Ochi’. Photo: A24.
‘The Legend of Ochi’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.
Opening in theaters on April 25th, ‘The Legend of Ochi’ invites you into a world of creatures, heroes, an ages-old conflict and a surprising friendship that proves to be a balm for a splintered family.
First-time director Isaiah Saxon’s movie also answers the question, “what if A24 let someone make a 1980s family film in the studio’s style?”
Will ‘The Legend of Ochi’ make you want to preserve it?
Emily Watson in ‘The Legend of Ochi’. Photo: A24.
Bringing us to the distinct and quirky world of a tiny, remote village nestled on the island of Carpathia in the Black Sea, ‘The Legend of Ochi’ sets its stall early, with a quick introduction to the narrative in storybook form.
Writer/director Saxon has cooked up something unique, though filled with influences from the Amblin creature features of the 1980s and the stylistically challenging work of Spike Jonze or Michel Gondry. There’s also just a hint of Wes Anderson here, though without his rigid dedication to framing and design.
Yet the filmmaker has also injected plenty of his own heart and feeling into the movie, making this an entertaining crossbreed.
Script and Direction
Director Isaiah Saxon on the set of ‘The Legend of Ochi’. Photo: A24.
Saxon’s screenplay is a rich one, choosing to lean less on dialogue and more on emotion and instinct. Which is not to say ‘Ochi’ is a silent film, far from it –– between the bluster of Willem Dafoe’s Maxim the frustration and wonder of Helena Zengel’s Yuri and the straightforward pragmatism of Emily Watson’s Dasha, there is still plenty of language to enjoy.
Yet the focus is really on Yuri and her budding friendship with the sweet baby Ochi she bonds with after its family is scared off by Maxim’s group of boy soldiers.
While the story might be a basic one about a youngster whose life is changed by the connection she makes with an unlikely ally, it has so much of its own personality that it works.
Director Isaiah Saxon on the set of ‘The Legend of Ochi’. Photo: A24.
It’s also in direction where Saxon shines, collaborating with cinematographer Evan Prosofsky and production designer Jason Kisvarday to whip up a world of his own, both recognizably human but just enough removed from reality to give it its own unique feel.
It all conspires to give the movie as a whole the dynamism of a fairytale crossed with a bleak Eastern European drama –– but don’t get us wrong, this is far from a depressing tale.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Willem Dafoe and Finn Wolfhard in ‘The Legend of Ochi’. Photo: A24.
Helena Zengel might be best known for her work opposite Tom Hanks in ‘News of the World,’ but ‘The Legend of Ochi’ gives her another welcome spotlight. She’s committed as Yuri, the young girl whose family has been shattered by their encounter with the creatures and her parents’ own attitudes.
Desperate for acceptance, Yuri has also become withdrawn, listening to heavy metal music and spending time alone, worried about the legends of the Ochi creatures that those around her are convinced are the biggest threat they face.
Yet when she finally opens up in her friendship with the young Ochi, Zengel brings her fully to life, and the young woman becomes the hero she’s destined to be.
Willem Dafoe likewise fully portrays the blowhard character of Maxim, a man who’s convinced he has a mission, and is so convinced by it he barely has time for his own daughter. The actor is clearly enjoying a new period of offbeat roles that let him properly embrace his love for character work.
Willem Dafoe in ‘The Legend of Ochi’. Photo: A24.
Similarly, Emily Watson brings her all to Dasha, a woman whose life has been designed around learning more about the Ochi, but has, much like her daughter, withdrawn from the world. She’s a spiky, staunchly no-nonsense person, practical to a fault, but also filled with longing for connection again.
Besides the three main cast members, the world is weaved by the ensemble, especially Maxim’s group of young soldiers, who might not have lines, but add plenty to the movie.
And finally, all credit to everyone involved in the puppets and other creature effects –– the Ochi as a species (a sort of bear/bat/ape hybrid) are realized in truly memorable fashion, making them both clearly natural but also not of our environment. The sound design for them is also impressive, crafting a language of hoots and trills that is distinctive and creative.
Final Thoughts
Helena Zengel in ‘The Legend of Ochi’. Photo: A24.
Though it might be too languid and unusual for some family audiences, Saxon’s attempt to make a movie for all ages while maintaining the distinct A24 style works. It has its own voice, and a message that, while you’ve heard it in other movies, works here.
They really don’t make ‘em like this often, and it should be cherished.
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What’s the plot of ‘The Legend of Ochi’?
In a remote village on the island of Carpathia, a shy farm girl named Yuri (Helena Zengel) is raised to fear an elusive animal species known as Ochi.
But when Yuri discovers a wounded baby Ochi has been left behind, she escapes on the adventure of a lifetime to bring him home.
(Left) Mel Gibson in ‘Monster Summer’. Photo: Pastime Pictures. (Right) Jim Caviezel as Jesus Christ in 2004’s ‘The Passion of the Christ’. Photo: Icon Productions.
Preview:
Mel Gibson is aiming to shoot the ‘Passion of the Christ’ sequel in 2026.
Randall Wallace wrote the script.
Jim Caviezel appears likely to return as Jesus.
‘The Passion of the Christ,’ Mel Gibson’s 2004 take on Jesus’ final days on earth up to his crucifixion, became the largest-grossing independent film of all time with a worldwide box office of nearly $612 million.
Though the film was considered anti-Semitic due to its implication that Jewish leaders were to blame for Jesus’ death, that controversy did little to halt its popularity, with Church leaders buying out theaters to screen the movie to congregants.
Gibson has long talked about wanting to make a sequel to that movie, possibly a two-part epic, but despite spending years developing it has seemed no closer to actually rolling cameras.
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Now, though, talking to Joe Rogan on his podcast, Gibson says that he’s hoping to start shooting the new movie in 2026, and that it is currently called ‘The Resurrection of the Christ.’
When Rogan asked who would be starring as Jesus, Gibson told him that ‘Passion’ actor Jim Caviezel would be back in the lead role, with digital de-aging technology employed to wipe 20 years from Caviezel’s looks.
There was chatter last September about Gibson being spotted scouting locations in Malta and the Southern Italian region of Puglia where he visited various rural locations, including the ancient towns of Ginosa, Gravina Laterza and Altamura, but the director himself didn’t comment.
What did Mel Gibson say about the ‘Resurrection of the Christ’ script?
Jim Caviezel as Jesus Christ in 2004’s ‘The Passion of the Christ’. Photo: Icon Productions.
Gibson has been at work on the sequel’s script with Randall Wallace, who has written the likes of ‘Braveheart’ for the director and did uncredited screenplay polishes on ‘Hacksaw Ridge.’
This was what Gibson told Rogan about the script so far:
“There’s a lot required because it’s an acid trip. I’ve never read anything like this. My brother and I and Randall all sort of congregated on this. So there’s some good heads put together, but there’s some crazy stuff. And I think in order to really tell the story properly you have to really start with the fall of the angels, which means you’re in another place, you’re in another realm. You need to go to hell.”
That lines up with some of what Gibson has said in the past, including in this interview with the National Catholic Register in which he said:
“It’s not a linear narrative. You have to juxtapose the central event that I’m trying to tell with everything else around it in the future, in the past, and in other realms, and that’s kind of getting a little sci-fi out there.”
What else is happening with Mel Gibson?
Mel Gibson in ‘Monster Summer’. Photo: Pastime Pictures.
Next up for Gibson cinematically is his latest directing gig, action thriller ‘Flight Risk,’ which stars Mark Wahlberg. It’ll land in theaters on January 24th.
Acting-wise, Gibson is part of the cast for action pic ‘Mermaid,’ which sees a single father looking to protect his daughter from the corrupt world around them.
And in real life, terms, the actor/filmmaker recently faced the challenge of losing one of his homes in the wildfires ravaging the hills above Los Angeles.
“I thought ‘I wonder if my place is still there’, but when I got home, sure enough, it wasn’t there. I’ve never seen such a complete burn. It is obviously devastating, it’s emotional. I lived there for about 14, 15 years so it was home to me. I had a lot of personal things there that I can’t get back –– everything from photographs to files to just personal things that I had from over the years. That can all be replaced. These are only things. And the good news is that those in my family and those I love are all well, and we’re all happy and healthy and out of harm’s way.”
What has Mel Gibson said about ‘The Last Temptation of Christ’?
Willem Dafoe as Jesus in director Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Last Temptation of Christ’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
While ‘The Passion’ is Gibson’s most prominent Jesus-themed cinematic experience, he nearly showed up in another, years earlier.
As part of the Rogan podcast, Gibson revealed that, while in London and sick with food poisoning in the late 1980s, he was contacted by Martin Scorsese about starring in ‘The Last Temptation of Christ.’
This is what Gibson recalls:
“While I was there, Scorsese calls the room and says, ‘Come here, I want to talk to you.’ I go and I talk to Martin and he’s in his room and all the windows, the screens, he’s drawn on. He’s got 18 different TVs going on at the same time in this dark room. He’s talking to me about ‘The Last Temptation of Christ’ and he wants me to play Jesus and I said, ‘Wow. I’m not doing that.’ ”
Still, Gibson goes on to say that he’s happy that Willem Dafoe took the role on instead, admitting:
“He did something that I think nobody else did and I think he pulled it off because I totally believed it. He emptied himself out. He invited something else in. He meditated and let Christ in.”
When will ‘The Resurrection of the Christ’ be in theaters?
Though it has been in development since at least 2016, Gibson’s new movie has yet to secure
(L to R) Mason Thames and Mel Gibson star in ‘Monster Summer’.
Opening in theaters on December 25th is ‘Nosferatu’, which is a remake of the classic 1922 German film, which itself was loosely based on Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel ‘Dracula’.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with filmmaker Robert Eggers in an extended interview about his work on ‘Nosferatu’, why he wanted to make the movie, his love for the original, the look of the new film, visual vs. practical effects, Bill Skarsgård and Lily-Rose Depp’s performances, why he loves working with Willem Dafoe, why he will never make a modern movie, and what he learned from making this project.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your fascination with the source material, why you wanted to remake this film, and how you wanted to do it differently than what we’ve seen before from this genre?
Robert Eggers: I mean, I saw F. W. Murnau‘s ‘Nosferatu’ that was made in 1922 when I was nine years old, and I watched on a VHS that was made from a degraded 16-millimeter print and there was a way in which the world and the vampire played by Max Schreck just seemed real and unearthed from the past and I was just totally transported to that world. I also loved that it turned Bram Stoker’s novel into a very simple fairy tale. So, I’ve been obsessed with ‘Nosferatu’ most of my life, but it’s not enough to be obsessed and love something there. You must have a reason to do it again. I thought that if I could tell the story through the eyes of the female protagonist, through Lily-Rose Depp’s character, that there would be a greater chance for the film to have more emotional and psychological depth because yes, it is a scary horror movie with a lot of dread and even some jump scares. But more than that, it is a tale of love and obsession and a Gothic romance. The other central thing that is very different from other versions is that over the years, vampires have become less and less and less scary, climaxing with Edward Cullen (‘Twilight’) and in order to make the vampire in the film scary again, I turned to folklore that was written about and by people who believe that vampires were real and were terrified of them and these folk vampires are walking undead, putrid corpses. So, then I asked myself, “What would a dead Transylvanian nobleman actually look like” and thus we created what Bill Skarsgård’s vampire is in this film.
MF: Did you only take inspiration from the original ‘Nosferatu’, or did you also draw from the ‘Dracula’ novel and other interpretations of the character?
RE: I mean, it’s everything. It’s very much the history of vampire films in general, but I’m inspired by all kinds of Gothic literature and Edgar Allan Poe, black and white Gothic movies from the 1930s to the 1960s, and art house Polish movies from the ’70s. I mean, the influences are massive. Even Mel Brooks‘ ‘Dracula: Dead and Loving’. It was helpful to see what are the mistakes that every Dracula movie has. That parody points them out, so you know not to make those mistakes.
MF: Can you talk about Bill Skarsgård’s performance and the specific way you wanted Count Orlok to look in the film?
RE: I mean, Bill’s incredibly transformative as Count Orlok. There’s no trace of Bill Skarsgård in the movie. He worked with an opera singer to lower his voice an octave. He has this incredibly low, powerful voice that if you’ve heard Bill speak, Bill speaks in a tenor voice like mine, and you would assume that we digitally manipulated it. But no, Bill trained and that is his performance and the prosthetics that took six hours to apply and then his utter transformation for Bill to disappear and the darkness to take over and him to become Count Orlok is quite impressive.
MF: Can you talk about your use of practical vs. visual effect in the film?
RE: There are certainly plenty of visual effects in the movie, but I try to do as many things practically as possible and, the things that you might expect to be visual effects, those are the things that I particularly would like to do practically. All of Bill’s makeup is done practically. There are thousands and thousands of rats in the film and the thousands of rats that would be in the foreground of the shot are real. The wolves are real. We built over 60 sets, including a massive backlog set of a northern German town.
MF: Can you also talk about the production design and the specific look of the film?
RE: Yeah, I mean, the reality of these sets is quite shocking. We talk about the finishes in the movie industry and when you’re in the middle of Orlok’s Great Hall in the castle, even without the lighting, it looks completely real. It’s wild.
MF: What was it like working with Lily-Rose Depp, and can you talk about her performance and her character’s descent into madness?
RE: Lily-Rose Depp’s performance is quite jaw-dropping, and so amazing. When I first met with her, I felt that she just understood the character so well and then she did this incredibly powerful audition that left me and the casting director and even the videographer who didn’t have anything invested in it in tears. But Ellen’s character has a sort of knowledge, a sort of insight into the dark realm, another realm, and she’s dealing with the demons that are inside of her and this vampire that’s after her. She does this incredible body work where she sometimes is having seizures and sometimes having, going through these wild acts of possession. She worked tirelessly with a movement coach on doing all these incredible body movements that also help these shocking emotions to arise. But again, the stuff that she does with her body, you would think would be CG manipulated or we would be using wire work, but it’s all her. She gives a tremendous performance.
MF: This is the third movie in a row you’ve made with Willem Dafoe. What do you like about working with him and is he your lucky charm at this point?
RE: I mean, Willem Dafoe is a legend. He’s one of the greatest actors of all time and I feel so joyful and thankful and humbled that Willem likes to work with me and keeps coming back. But obviously, he has this power and a sense of humor and a fire about him that makes all his roles so compelling. Here, as a slightly crazed vampire hunter occultist, it’s particularly enjoyable.
MF: All your films are period pieces. What do you like about making those types of movies and do you ever see yourself making a modern set film?
RE: Well, it’s more fun for me to do the research and to create these worlds. I live in a world of cell phones and toilets and dishwashers. I don’t need to make movies about it. It’s boring. How cool is it that I am dreaming about a castle for 10 years and then I get to stand inside the castle of my imagination? That is so much cooler than shooting a scene in a men’s room with someone looking at their cell phone.
MF: Finally, this is a movie you’ve wanted to make for a while, how does it feel now that you’ve accomplished that and what have you learned from this experience?
RE: I’m proud of what me and all my collaborators were able to accomplish. I’ve been working with the same creative heads of department for years and we’ve become further extensions of each, and we challenge each other, and we grow together. After so long, it’s not just my vision that we’ve articulated, but a collective vision and that is wonderful. But you also feel a little vulnerable because when it’s something that is this important to you, that’s kind of a strange feeling. But I’m eager for audiences to come to movie theaters and get transported into this world and enjoy ‘Nosferatu’, hopefully.
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What is the plot of ‘Nosferatu’?
Set in 1838 in Germany, Nosferatu follows the obsession between a haunted young woman, Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rise Depp), and the ancient Transylvanian vampire stalking her, Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård), leading to untold horror.
