Bill Murray Drops Out Of Movie For Heartbreaking Reason
Legendary actor and comic Bill Murray has been forced to drop out of an anticipated project for a very sad reason.
This article is more than 2 years old
Actor Bill Murray has had a storied career, primarily because of his ongoing association with the Ghostbusters franchise and his work with talented writers and directors. Murray’s partnership with the Coppola family has earned him acclaim in hit films like Lost in Translation and On the Rocks. But, it’s his work with Wes Anderson that has elevated Murray’s resume to include idiosyncratic films that speak to his peculiar nature as a gifted comedian and performer. Now, it seems that Bill Murray’s streak as a featured actor in Anderson’s movies may have come to an abrupt end.
According to a report by Variety, Bill Murray has been forced to drop out of Wes Anderson’s latest project because he has contracted COVID-19. The film in question is Asteroid City, which stars an ensemble group of performers such as Anderson’s frequent collaborators Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, Edward Norton, and Willem Dafoe. Set in the 1950s, Asteroid City takes place at a Junior Stargazer convention and introduces new actors to the Wes Anderson ensemble like Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie, Bryan Cranston, and Scarlett Johansson. The Hollywood Reporter reports that Asteroid City is poised to become the most significant ensemble comedy Wes Anderson has ever produced, with costar Fisher Stevens liking it to the 1957 film Bridge on the River Kwai.
Asteroid City was filmed in Spain in the Fall of 2021, but Bill Murray had to exit the project after being one of the first cast members to initially join. However, his scenes had not been filmed, and he possibly had COVID-19 back in September 2021. According to IndieWire, Focus Features has picked up distribution rights to the film, and Murray’s role has been replaced with Steve Carell in the part. There is no word yet as to what that role will be, as much of the plot and characters of Asteroid City are still very hush-hush and kept under wraps. This would have marked Murray’s tenth collaboration with West Anderson after costarring in many of Anderson’s early projects like Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Fantastic Mr. Fox. He was last seen in Anderson’s The French Dispatch, playing Arthur Howitzer Jr., the editor of the French Dispatch.
The 72-year-old Bill Murray may not be featured in his friend Wes Anderson’s newest movie, but his career doesn’t seem to show any signs of slowing down. After starring in the 2021 miniseries The Now, the actor will next be seen in Peter Farrelly’s war drama The Greatest Beer Run Ever. Murray will also be featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and has been gearing up for Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut, Being Mortal. Allegations of on-set misconduct by Murray on Being Mortal has made its way into the headlines, with a great deal of the complaints detailed by Keke Palmer. The film’s production is currently on hold while Palmer’s complaint is investigated. As for Asteroid City, Wes Anderson’s newest film is now set to be released sometime later this year.
