Wes Anderson is officially returning to stop-motion animation with production beginning in London on his next project, Isle of Dogs. A follow-up to his critically acclaimed 2009 animated film Fantastic Mr. Fox, this next project will be bringing audiences back to the animal kingdom. Fans have known for over a year now that the film would center on the world of dogs, but that has been all we have had to go on.
Anderson does not tease much here in terms of plot, but does give us a title, his voice cast, and a sneak preview of the dog Edward Norton is supposedly playing named Rex (below). Anderson has a history with dogs, often injuring or killing them off in his past films, although it is unlikely that this next film will be at all a dog blood bath; perhaps he is even making amends to the canine kingdom.
The cast is as star-studded an affair as any of Anderson’s past films and includes Norton, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, F. Murray Abraham, Bob Balaban, Frances McDormand, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Akira Ito, Akira Takayama, and Koyu Rankin, with notable newcomers like Bryan Cranston, Yoko Ono, Courtney B. Vance, Scarlett Johansson, and Greta Gerwig (who will likely fit perfectly into the Anderson world).
Along with the announcement, Anderson also revealed that he has partnered with Crowdrise to give fans a chance to voice a character and visit the set in London. The contest would raise money for Martin Scorsese’s organization The Film Foundation, which is dedicated to the preservation and reincarnation of film.
Check back soon for updates and a release date. See the video announcement below.