Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City’ & Jonathan Glazer’s ‘The Zone of Interest’ Not Coming Out This Year

Two of the most anticipated films of the fall will finally not be released in 2022.

Firstly, Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City,” which wrapped production last October, is sitting out the year. No word yet on the reasons why, but, according to a well-informed festival programmer, it’s aim is a 2023 release. It might have to do with extensive VFX work, but it’s pure speculation, others will point out to Bill Murray’s recent controversy.

The highly anticipated film stars Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie, Scarlett Johansson, Adrien Brody, Bryan Cranston and Jeffrey Wright. Anderson shot “Asteroid City” in Spain last August. Plot details have been kept very hush-hush, but we do know that the film is said to take place in Arizona and not Spain.

Then we have Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest.” This one finished production very early this year and will not be ready for a fall festival launch. The Holocaust film was shot in Auschwitz and Glazer’s first film since 2013’s critically-heralded “Under the Skin.” Lukasz Zal (“Cold War”, “Ida”) is credited as the DP on that one.

Glazer is known to take his time in post-production. There was almost a 24 month timeframe between the 2011 shoot of “Under the Skin” and its 2013 world premiere at Telluride.

The film is said to be based on author Martin Amis’ novel “The Zone Of Interest.” The book synopsis tells the story of a Nazi officer who finds himself falling for the wife of the camp’s commandant. The plot follows their torrid, love affair, while the spurned husband begins to suspect his wife.

Since both films have called it quits on 2022, then we can look ahead to either a 2023 world premiere at Berlin or Cannes. The latter seems more likely, but Anderson does have a cozy relationship with the Berlinale, so maybe that’s not out of the question either.

This also makes things less complicated for Venice boss Alberto Barbera, he will now have less of a headache to choose his American movies for competition. With Aster a question mark, and Lanthimos still NOT READY (I’ll get to that one tomorrow), we’re now looking at Baumbach, Aronofsky, Field, McDonagh, Sachs and Polley as the American possibilities.

Notice I didn’t include Chazelle. Word is that Paramount are unsure what the best route for “Babylon” will be come awards season. Fests or no fests? That is the question they are currently pondering for the December release.