Posted in: Focus Features, Movies | Tagged: asteroid city, film, Focus Features, wes anderson

Wes Anderson Sheds Light on His Asteroid City Theatre Inspirations

Asteroid City filmmaker Wes Anderson is revealing what inspired his new film and how it differs from his 2004 film The Life Aquatic.

Wes Anderson's new quirky drama-comedy film Asteroid City (from Focus Features and Universal Pictures) has achieved widely positive reviews from audiences and critics so far, despite experiencing a struggle to generate a massive box-office turnout needed to help recoup its budget of $25 million.

Still, the outlandishly colorful film tells a very specific tonal tale that's fine-tuned to Anderson's own interests, making it a win for a filmmaker who's been in the business for decades. But what inspired the new story for Anderson?

A Live Theatre Experience That Asteroid City Aimed to Spotlight

In conversation with The Independent, the highly-publicized director reveals that theater played a massive role in his recent film Asteroid City, telling the outlet, "I've never been a part of a play, but when I go to the theatre, I wish that I could be a part of a company like that. And when I'm making a movie, it is quite like that. Some of [my] actors who have done plays have told me this… but to me, this movie, the subject matter, is about why  people do theatre. Why do I feel this mystifying, mystical attraction to the backstage? What is it about putting on a show and performing?"

Elsewhere in the interview, the director explains that this film offered a much more comforting, familiar territory with his collaborators as opposed to his early '00s film The Life Aquatic, telling the publication, "The Life Aquatic  was a very, very big production. I just didn't like it. I felt like we were paying to create this machine that wasn't doing what we wanted it to do. On Life Aquatic, everyone got the nicest places in Rome [to live in]. We were working an hour and a half from Cinecittà [Studios], and half the day was spent getting to and from [there] and having long lunches and things like that. None of that went into the movie in a good way."

Thankfully, the celebrated director can step away from his newest cinematic tale with a greater sense of satisfaction from experience to the all-important end result.

Asteroid City from Anderson is currently in theaters now.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!