Scarlett Johansson’s New Sci-Fi Movie Got A Six Minute Standing Ovation
Debuting at the Cannes Film Festival, Scarlett Johansson's Asteroid City from Wes Anderson received a 6-minute standing ovation.
Scarlett Johansson stars in Wes Anderson’s new sci-fi movie Asteroid City, which got an incredible six-minute standing ovation after its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, according to Variety. The crowd loved the artsy film that looks to be the epitome of Wes Anderson-style cinema with its long takes, limited desert color pallet, and beautiful symmetry. See the trailer for the upcoming film below.
The film takes place during the 1950s in a fictional town called Asteroid City, a desert town known for its small asteroid landing, which draws in tourists, stargazers, and alien enthusiasts alike. When alien life seemingly makes contact in Asteroid City, all the tourists and members of the Junior Stargazer convention must stay within the city. This includes several characters, including a recently widowed father of four, their gun-wielding grandfather, a talented actress, and a bunch of young brilliant campers.
While everyone is stranded in the city, they all become acquainted with one another and must learn how to survive and cope together. Scarlett Johansson plays just one of the on-screen actors in the film as they all go about acting out a play. While the actors perform the play written by Edward Norton’s character, it is narrated by none other than Bryan Cranston.
Scarlett Johansson was at the film premiere along with the director and several of the all-star cast members, including Tom Hanks and Jason Schwartzman. The cast features a few familiar faces from other Wes Anderson films, like Adrian Brody, Tilda Swinton, Jeff Goldblum, and Ed Norton, though Bill Murray and the Wilson brothers were noticeably absent. New faces in the Wes Anderson cast include Steve Carell, Margot Robbie, Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, and Stranger Things star Maya Hawke, among others.
This is the eleventh film from Wes Anderson, who is best known for his films Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Royal Tenenbaums, and The French Dispatch. He and Scarlett Johansson have previously only worked together on Isle of Dogs, with the Marvel star voicing one of the main characters, Nutmeg. The director chose Scarlett Johansson specifically for the role of Midge Campbell, which marks her first appearance (of hopefully many) in a Wes Anderson live-action movie.
When discussing her role, Scarlett Johansson was fascinated with getting to know her character’s true identity, who she compared to the iconic actress Bette Davis. Her martini-swinging character is a famous actress on stage and on the screen and she must cope with being stranded in the desert with fellow actors. Scarlett Johansson shared that she liked the constraints of Wes Anderson’s directing style and actually found it liberating.
Asteroid City will premiere in the United States on June 16, where it will be distributed by Focus Features. This will mark the second time Wes Anderson has worked with the distribution company, with Focus Features having distributed his film Moonrise Kingdom which coincidentally also premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. While Moonrise Kingdom earned an Academy Award nomination, it will be interesting to see if Asteroid City also gets nominated or wins an award.
