The Phoenician Scheme
The Phoenician Scheme is a 2025 espionage dark comedy film produced, written and directed by Wes Anderson from a story he conceived with Roman Coppola. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Mathieu Amalric, Richard Ayoade, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis, F. Murray Abraham, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Willem Dafoe, and Bill Murray. It was produced internationally between the United States and Germany by Anderson's company American Empirical Pictures and Steven Rales's company Indian Paintbrush.
Plot
In 1950, arms dealer and industrialist Zsa-Zsa Korda narrowly survives an assassination attempt. While unconscious, he enters the afterlife, where a divine court judges his worthiness to enter Heaven. Knowing he cannot run from assassins forever, Korda tries to mend his relationship with his only daughter, Catholic novice Sister Liesl. He asks Liesl to quit the Church and take over his business. Korda and Liesl have a testy relationship, as Korda had sent away Liesl to a convent at the age of five, and is rumored to have murdered Liesl's mother, although he denies this. Liesl also meets Bjørn, a Norwegian entomologist and Korda's administrative assistant.