The first pictures of Wes Anderson's new movie The French Dispatch have been released and it's far to say the film has garnered a lot of attention already.
Styled to look like the front cover of an old magazine, the official poster shows a cutaway of an old office block featuring cartoon images of the film's main characters.
It was released alongside a number of film stills which appear to show Anderson making a return to his usual style of cinematography following the slight cinematic detour of 2017's Isle of Dogs.
Said to be loosely inspired by tales of the The New Yorker Magazine, The French Dispatch is set in the fictional French town of Ennui-sur-Blasé at some point in the mid-20th century and is being called Anderson's "love letter to journalism".
Slated for a summer 2020 release, The French Dispatch features a stellar cast including Timothée Chalamet, Saoirse Ronan and Bill Murray, along with Anderson favourites Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Jason Schwartzman.
It's only been two years since his last film, but fans appear more than ready for what's next and anticipation has been brewing since December 2018, when it was announced that Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan had been cast in the director's next title.
But when is The French Dispatch Out and who's in the cast with Chalamet and Ronan? Here's everything you need to know.
The French Dispatch release date
The new Wes Anderson movie marks the director's 10th feature film, and is slated for release on July 24, 2020.
Who's in the cast with Timothée Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan?
Since they first worked together on Greta Gerwig's debut film Lady Bird, Chalamet and Ronan have become one of the most dynamic duos in cinema.
Their most recent film, Little Women (also directed by Gerwig), has received international acclaim – despite being snubbed by many of this year's awards.
Joining them are Wes Anderson favourites Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Jason Schwartzman, who co-wrote the original story.
Other additions set for The French Dispatch are James Bond actress Léa Seydoux and Benicio del Toro.
What is The French Dispatch about?
While there's not a firm synopsis in place, the film has been described by Searchlight Pictures as: “a love letter to journalists set in an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional 20th-century French city that brings to life a collection of stories published in The French Dispatch magazine."
Reportedly, the film has been inspired by Anderson's love of The New Yorker magazine, and the film will focus on three separate storylines and brings to life a collection of stories published in The French Dispatch magazine.
Last year, the director told French newspaper Charente Libre the film is a portrait of an American journalist living in France who creates his own magazine in an effort to write what he wants to write.
Is there a trailer?
Yes there is, and it landed on Wednesday, February 12.
The trailer opens with a shot of a small French town before a voice tells us: "It began as a holiday. Eager to escape a bright future on the great plans, Arthur Howitzer Jr. transformed a series of travelogue columns into The French Dispatch, a factual weekly report on the subject of world politics, the arts high and low and diver's stories of human interest."
It then describes in more detail the team of journalist Howitzer Jr has assembled to write the magazine - J. K. L. Berensen, Herbsaint Salzerac, Lucinda Krementz and Roebuck Wright - before each of them brings to life a story which features in the eponymous magazine.
